Assessment of winter harvesting influence on soil properties and aspen regeneration in Duck Mountain provincial park, SK

Non-Peer ReviewedDisturbance is a natural and essential component of a healthy and sustainable aspen forest; however, fire suppression has altered the natural cycle of death and regrowth. As a result, many of Saskatchewan’s aspen forest are in a dying state with insufficient regeneration to maintain the forest system. Mechanical harvesting mimics the natural disturbance of fire and stimulates the regeneration of overgrown forests, promoting a turnover and a healthy forest system. Unfortunately, mechanical harvesting severely affects the underlying soil and hinder the success of regeneration and the stability of the forest itself. Utilizing GPS and GIS technology to map the distribution and intensity of machine traffic throughout the harvested area allows assessment of the effects our current harvesting method has on the developing forest. Assessments are commonly done using small monitoring plots, which are then used to infer success of regeneration for much larger areas; consequently, important information about the regeneration may be overlooked or exaggerated. To capture larger scale impact, drone remote sensing is being developed as an additional tool to obtain information regarding the level of regeneration. This research will contribute to improving our regeneration assessment capability and ensure harvesting of aspen forests is done in a sustainable manor

Spectroscopic characterization of soil organic carbon under shelterbelts

Non-Peer Reviewe

Soil properties for reclaimed, fire-disturbed, and undisturbed forested soils in northern Alberta, Canada

Non-Peer Reviewe

Effect of landscape position and soil depth on wheat root activity using a stable strontium tracer

Non-Peer Reviewe

Farm-scale modelling of C sequestration and GHG mitigation by shelterbelts: Holos, 3PG, and CBM-CFS3 simulations

Non-Peer Reviewe

Impact of N-fixing trees on soil-derived greenhouse gas emissions in the semi-arid Canadian prairie

Non-Peer Reviewe

Effect of N-fixation on nitrous oxide emissions in mature caragana shelterbelts

Non-Peer Reviewe

Soil properties and greenhouse gas emissions with distance from a shelterbelt

Non-Peer Reviewe

Soil nutrient supply rates as an indicator of site suitability and seedling growth requirements

Non-Peer ReviewedBefore there is widespread adoption of agroforestry practices in Saskatchewan, a clear economic advantage for producers to grow hybrid poplar must become apparent. In order to achieve this goal, there needs to be adequate survival and growth of planted seedlings, especially within the first few years. Under conditions of adequate soil moisture, reductions in the early growth of tree seedlings mainly are attributable to soil nutrient limitations. Monitoring soil nutrient availability, therefore, is important for ensuring optimal tree nutrition and promoting successful seedling establishment and growth. Notwithstanding the importance of routine soil testing practices in supporting annual crop production, less than 10 % of the fields in western Canada currently are managed based on annual soil testing practices. Consequently, producers see limited utility in the fertilizer recommendations provided to them based on conventional soil tests. The objective of this study then, is to measure nutrient supply rates at several hybrid poplar plantations in northern Saskatchewan, using in situ burials of ion exchange membrane (Plant Root Simulator (PRS)™-probes), and relate these data to plantation productivity during the early establishment phase. Determining the relationship between soil nutrient supply rates and seedling growth should help to support effective management strategies, in terms of proper site selection and elucidating possible fertilizer requirements

Evaluating different techniques for estimating biomass in short-rotation willow plantations

Non-Peer ReviewedThe hallmark of any successful purpose-grown willow production system involves regular monitoring of willow growth to apply timely management techniques for supporting increased productivity, but also timing harvest for maximizing profit. The objective of this study was to compare a conventional allometric technique (i.e., defined by a simple empirical relationship between stem size and mass) with a novel alternative method measuring light attenuation through the willow crop canopy (i.e., Stem Area Index; using a LAI-2000 Plant Canopy Analyzer) and relate these data to harvested willow biomass. Two different hybrid willow clones with contrasting growth form, either single stem (Charlie) or multi-stem (SV1), were studied. The observed allometric models were stronger for multi-stemmed SV1 (R2 = 0.81) compared to the single-stemmed Charlie (R2 = 0.67); however, the allometric relationships in this study were not as robust as those typically reported in the literature for willow and is probably due to the uncoppiced management of the study plantation. Given the strong correlations (R2 > 0.98) between Stem Area Index and harvested willow biomass, regardless of growth form, it appears that this novel mensurative technique is a promising alternative to conventional allometry. It is prudent to develop a rapid, cost-effective, and non-destructive mensurative technique yielding reliable biomass estimates, for supporting effective management decisions in a timely manner