Summary
Published in Botany 96: 411-423 https://doi.org/10.1139/cjb-2018-0016
The long-standing hypothesis that sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marshall) communities are maintained at equilibrium by present climate and small-scale disturbances is questioned because empirical evidence is accumulating about the ability of the species to withstand several stand-scale disturbances. The fire history of a sugar maple site at the northeastern range limit of the species (Gaspe Peninsula, eastern Canada) was documented to test the hypothesis that this forest type is resilient to fire disturbance. The fire history was reconstructed using radiocarbon-dated soil macro-charcoals. Two main fire periods were recorded during the Holocene. The oldest period occurred between 9055 and 8265 cal. years BP, and was characterized by the presence of conifers, including spruce. After 6900 years of fire-free activities, the second period covered the last 1335 years, and was characterized by the presence of sugar maple in the charcoal assemblage. The dominance of sugar maple after more than 1000 years of recurrent fires underlines the species resilience to frequent site disturbances. The soil of the forest stand was heavily disturbed by earthworms. However, the dense seedling and sapling bank of sugar maple suggests that earthworms do not adversely affect the regeneration and survival of the species.
Sector(s):
Forests
Categorie(s):
Scientific Article
Theme(s):
Forest Ecology, Forestry Research
Departmental author(s):
Author(s)
PAYETTE, Serge, Mathieu FRÉGEAU, Pierre-Luc COUILLARD, Vanessa PILON and Jason LAFLAMME
Year of publication :
2018
How to get the publication :
PDF available upon request. Available at the Direction des inventaires forestiers
Keywords :
sugar maple, Acer saccharum, fire history, fire resilience, radiocarbon dating, macro-charcoal
