Ecological inventory on your land
Brief explanation of the ecoforestry inventory program in the forests of southern Québec. The document aims to inform owners of private forests of the importance of this inventory and its possible implications.
Ornithological inventory in Hudson Bay: Search for Golden Eagle nests and data collection for the northern component of the Atlas of Breeding Birds of Québec – Report, 2023
The sparse knowledge about Nunavik birdlife limits our ability to ensure the recovery of some species or their maintenance at viable population levels. Nunavik is home to the majority of breeding pairs of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in eastern North America. However, since 2011, with the exception of one population survey conducted in the Ungava Bay area, this vast territory has been the subject of very few eagle (and other raptor) inventories, even though it has many rock faces that are suitable for this species. This report presents the results of a 2022 Hudson Bay inventory conducted by a joint team from the Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte contre les changements climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs (MELCCFP) and the Canadian Wildlife Service of Environment and Climate Change Canada (CWS). The inventory highlighted the widespread use of this area by Golden Eagles, with a total of 163 nests located, of which 133 (81.5%) were new nesting sites for the species. The inventory also provided new information on the nesting of other birds of prey: the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), rough-legged hawk (Buteo lagopus), gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), merlin (Falco columbarius) and osprey (Pandion haliaetus). The inventory was also intended to collect data for the northern component of the Atlas of Breeding Birds of Québec. The resulting nesting indices allowed us to extend the known nesting area of various species. This was the case for Tundra Swan (Cygnus columbianus), Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis), Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata) and Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta), which were found further south than their known breeding range in mainland Québec, as well as for American duck (Mareca americana), Killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) and American bittern (Botaurus lentiginosus), which, conversely, were found further north than their known range. Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) was particularly numerous, with 163 individuals counted, many of them on rivers not previously known to support this duck. Other species at risk were the Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus), Bank Swallow (Riparia riparia), Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes), and Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus). The efforts made during this ornithological inventory represent one of the most important multi-species knowledge acquisition projects ever conducted at these latitudes.
Establishment of a reference state for the Tasiallujuak River Arctic charr population, Salluit, summer 2019
Biodemographic parameters of an anadromous Arctic charr population during the upstream migration in the Tasiallujuak River, Deception Bay, Salluit, Nunavik, Québec, Canada, were studied to serve as a benchmark before any potential anthropogenic development in the area. This is the last of a series of four studies about iqaluppik.
Assessing the effects of sugar maple tapping on lumber production
Published in The Forestry Chronicle 99(2). https://doi.org/10.5558/tfc2023-016
Production goals for certain stands previously used mainly to produce sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) lumber are being revised due to the growing demand for products made from maple sap. This paper therefore estimates the impacts that maple sap production may have for maple lumber production. We began by developing a model able to predict sugar maple lumber losses due to tapping for sap collection. We then used the model to simulate two management scenarios: one for timber production alone, and one for production of both lumber and maple sap in the same stand. The results suggest that the net harvested volume of lumber declines by roughly 40% in the co-production scenario, compared to the timber production scenario.
How many plots are needed to estimate sapling density and stocking in temperate forests?
Published in The Forestry Chronicle 99(2). https://doi.org/10.5558/tfc2023-019
Performing a complete silvicultural diagnosis before a silvicultural treatment generally requires assessing the state of regeneration with the help of an inventory by sampling, particularly for stands dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) or yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.), in which partial cuts are recommended. This inventory may be then compared to the standard or used in a growth model for saplings (trees for which diameter at 1.3 m above the ground (DBH) varies from 1.1 cm to 9.0 cm). Some of these tools are based on sapling density, while others are based on the stocking of the saplings or on the stocking of total regeneration (combining saplings and seedlings with a DBH ≤ 1.0 cm). We assessed the number of plots required to estimate the density and the stocking of saplings with a given margin of error in 28 stands. The results show that more plots are required than usual in practice to inventory sapling density. The stocking is much easier to estimate precisely.
