Unravelling the past to manage Newfoundland’s forests for the future

Abstract

The forests of Newfoundland represent a unique type of boreal ecosystem with diverse environmental gradients that exercise strong control over disturbances and vegetation. We have assembled and analyzed a comprehensive database on disturbance history in Newfoundland. Defoliating insects, led by the eastern spruce budworm (Choristoneura fumiferana Clemens) and the hemlock looper (Lambdina fiscellaria Guenee), have the largest disturbance footprint on the island. Infrequent wildfires (fire cycle = 769 years) had a decisive role in driving forest succession, particularly in the Central Newfoundland Forest and Maritime Barrens ecoregions. We hypothesize that the historical disturbance regime in Newfoundland would not have enabled steady-state conditions, although the amount of old-growth forests and deadwood would likely have been greater than it is today. We argue that the implementation of the natural range of variation (NRV) concept in forest management for such non-equilibrium systems will be challenging ...