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| Figure 9. Percentage of forests dominated by white pine and red pine that are protected in the Lake Abitibi and Lake Temagami ecoregions relative to forests of all types. |
Over time, the management of Ontario’s white pine and other forest resources has evolved from exploitation to a policy of sustainable forest management. At present, some Crown lands are protected in provincial parks and conservation reserves, and sustainable forest management is practiced on other lands. Both land types contribute to Ontario’s economy and to the conservation of biodiversity. Ongoing monitoring and research support continuous improvement in forest management practices.
Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves
The Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources has set aside 6.5 per cent of forests dominated by white pine and red pine in the Lake Abitibi Ecoregion and 18 per cent of this forest type in the Lake Temagami Ecoregion as protected areas under the Provincial Parks and Conservation Reserves Act (Figure 9). A larger proportion of the area of older forests is protected than younger ones.
Sustainable Forest Management of Crown (Public) Forests
The Crown Forest Sustainability Act (CFSA) requires that publicly owned forests in Ontario be managed sustainably to conserve biodiversity and productivity. Most forest management units are land areas managed by the forest industry under Sustainable Forest Licences. The Temagami management unit is an exception as it was managed by the Crown at the time of writing. Under the CFSA, an approved forest management plan must be in place before harvesting can occur on a forest management unit.
A forest management plan describes the strategies, objectives, and activities that will be used to provide for forest sustainability on a management unit. To develop a plan, forest managers must follow the Forest Management Planning Manual, which is regulated under the CFSA. A series of associated policies and guides must also be used when preparing forest management plans. Several of the key policies and guides that have relevance to white pine are outlined below.
Old growth policy: The Old Growth Policy for Ontario’s Crown Forests describes the plan for conserving older trees in all types of Crown forest ecosystems. This policy directs that old-growth conditions and values will be identified and maintained on all Crown forest lands now and in the future. This direction is intended to conserve biodiversity at levels that maintain or restore ecological processes, while allowing for sustainable development.
Guidelines for maintaining biodiversity: Through the CFSA, the Government of Ontario endorses the principle of emulating natural disturbances and landscape patterns with the goal of maintaining biodiversity. The premise of this principle is that forest-dwelling species have adapted to natural disturbances such as fire and generally depend on these disturbances to maintain a range of habitat conditions on the landscape over time. Guidelines for emulating natural disturbance patterns require that some patches of uncut forest be left in harvested areas, in addition to well-dispersed individual trees, some of which must be large. Other guidelines provide direction to create or maintain more specific habitat needed by some species, such as birds of prey.
Silviculture guides: The silviculture guides identify a range of silvicultural systems and treatments that are recommended for application to individual forest stands to help achieve objectives detailed in forest management plans. The guides identify two silvicultural systems for managing white pine: the clear cut and shelterwood silvicultural systems. In the clear cut system, forest stands composed of trees of similar age (even-aged) are harvested in a single cut. This system is applied to forest stands with a minor component of white pine. Some mature white pine trees are retained to provide seed and/or other ecological benefits after harvest (Figure 10A). Natural regeneration of white pine from seed may not always be adequate and may need to be supplemented by planting.
Figure 10A. Forest stand with white pine managed using the clear cut system. (Photo: S. McPherson)
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| Figure 10B. Forest stand with white pine managed using the shelterwood silvicultural system. (Photo: C. Latremouille) |
The shelterwood silvicultural system (Figure 10B) also applies to even-aged forest stands, but trees are removed in two to four sequential cuts rather than all at once. This silvicultural system is recommended for forest stands with a larger component of white pine. This approach maintains sufficient trees to provide seed and to shelter seedlings while still ensuring adequate light for them to grow. The final cut, which removes the remaining overstory trees (except some old legacy trees or other trees retained to meet guide requirements), occurs when new white pine trees are both sufficient in number and large enough to meet management objectives.
The silviculture guides also identify a range of treatments that can be used to:
- Reduce the damage to white pine by white pine blister rust and white pine weevil, such as the shelterwood silvicultural system;
- Create ground conditions favourable for establishing white pine by disturbing the forest floor and/or removing vegetation, using prescribed burning, machines, or herbicides (termed site preparation);
- Successfully establish new white pine trees from seed or by planting (termed regeneration);
- Tend newly established white pine trees to ensure their continued good growth over time (termed stand tending). Stand tending includes short-term control of vegetation that competes with white pine seedlings as they grow and may include the use of registered herbicides.
Forest fire management: Fire can have both positive and negative effects on forests, requiring a balanced approach to fire management. Under the new Forest Fire Management Strategy for Ontario, managers of forest management units, parks, and conservation reserves can identify different fire response options for specific areas. Fires can be extinguished, directed to achieve pre-set objectives, or monitored to ensure that beneficial ecological effects are achieved or that the fuel load in a given area is reduced.
Patterns in White Pine Management in the Lake Abitibi and Lake Temagami Ecoregions
All forest management plans for the Lake Abitibi and Lake Temagami ecoregions where white pine occurs acknowledge the historical decrease in the abundance of forests containing white pine and red pine. At the landscape level, plans identify strategies to address both the overall amount of white pine and red pine forests and the amount of old-growth forests. At the forest stand level, silvicultural options are specified to meet the set objectives. Although management options differ among plans, they must be consistent with provincial policies and guides.
The following patterns in white pine management are evident in the Lake Abitibi and Lake Temagami ecoregions:
- Efforts to restore white pine focus on forest stands with few white pine or where this species is suspected to have grown in the past;
- Shelterwood has been used on about 70 per cent of the white pine– and red pine–dominated forest stands harvested between 1996 and 2005;
- Appropriate to the varying amounts of white pine, use of clear cut with seed trees is more common in Lake Abitibi Ecoregion and shelterwood is more common in Lake Temagami Ecoregion;
- Site preparation is accomplished mostly with machines and/or herbicides. Prescribed burning is rarely performed due to costs, the need for specialized expertise, and weather and stand condition requirements;
- Due to insufficient natural seed sources and logistical issues, planting is considered more reliable than natural regeneration. Planting efforts are constant or increasing over time (Figure 11);
- Stand tending is mainly accomplished using herbicides due to the lower efficiency of manual techniques.
Figure 11. Area planted with white pine and red pine in the Lake Abitibi (3E) and Lake Temagami (4E) ecoregions under the clearcut and shelterwood silvicultural systems combined.
Monitoring and Research
The Ministry of Natural Resources conducts and supports monitoring and research activities to ensure forest managers comply with its policy and legal authority, and to provide information that can be used to continually improve forest management.
Forest managers are required to monitor the effectiveness of silvicultural activities in achieving the goals and objectives outlined in their management plan. From 1994 to 2005, the average regeneration success across both ecoregions for areas intended to regenerate to forest stands dominated by white pine and red pine was 64 per cent. However, the areas that regenerated did not always include the desired number of white pine trees. Adequate control of competing vegetation has been an ongoing challenge in renewal efforts.
The ministry and its partners are involved in research projects aimed at improving white pine management. Current research projects include:
- An investigation into methods that more efficiently and effectively control vegetation;
- A search for families and hybrids of white pine that show a natural resistance to white pine blister rust.
Researchers and technology transfer specialists use demonstration areas, workshops, and other means to share methods for improving the management of white pine. New knowledge will be incorporated into the silviculture guides.
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