Computer models approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources are being used to forecast the effects of management actions decades into the future. These projections reflect the objectives and targets set in forest management plans based on the process described in the Forest Management Planning Manual. Given current management practices, the following can be expected for the Lake Abitibi and Lake Temagami ecoregions.
In provincial parks and conservation reserves:
- No change in the total area of forests dominated by white pine and red pine but an increase in the area of old-growth white pine and red pine forest stands.
In forest management units:
- An increase in the total area of forests dominated by white pine and red pine. White pine and red pine forests are projected to account for up to 17 per cent of the area they covered prior to European settlement in the Lake Abitibi Ecoregion and up to 53 per cent in the Lake Temagami Ecoregion.
- A short-term increase in the area of old-growth forest stands, followed by a decrease, beginning in about 10 years in the Lake Abitibi Ecoregion and in 50 years in the Lake Temagami Ecoregion. This forecasted decrease in old growth is largely due to the failure of past efforts to regenerate white pine. Harvesting also contributes to future reduction. Disturbances of natural or human origin are needed in some older stands to encourage regeneration of white pine.
- The supply of sawlog-quality white pine is projected to decrease in the future, partly because forest stands containing white pine are being increasingly managed for non-timber purposes. The anticipated decline in supply over the next 20 years is also due to delays in the final cuts of older shelterwoods, which are taking longer than planned to successfully regenerate.
Efforts to improve the sustainable management of white pine are ongoing as part of the adaptive management process. Although challenges persist, improvements in forest management practices are helping to maintain or restore white pine in these ecoregions and elsewhere in the province. Continuation of these efforts will ensure that Ontarians benefit from the ecological, social, and economic values of white pine in the years to come.
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