e-Bulletin

Great Lakes Forestry Centre (GLFC)

 

Issue 53, February 2025


Comings and goings

Dr. Jean Turgeon has retired but is continuing his work as an Emeritus scientist.

 

Term GLFC research scientist receives a IUFRO outstanding doctoral dissertation award

Overview

Dr. Josephine Queffelec travels to Stockholm to receive prestigious award.

A group of people on stage, Josephine’s picture is displayed on a large screen behind, at an IUFRO meeting, where she is receiving her award

In June 2024, Dr. Joséphine Queffelec was awarded the Outstanding Doctoral Research Award for IUFRO Division 7 (Forest Health) at the world congress in Stockholm, Sweden. The award is given out every five years for path-breaking doctoral dissertations in each Division completed in the period (in this case 2018-2023).

Joséphine carried out her Ph. D. research at the University of Pretoria with Dr. Jeremy Allison from GLFC and Dr. Bernard Slippers from that University as co-advisers. She focused on the relationship between reproductive biology and the invasion of South African pine plantations by the woodwasp Sirex noctilio. Joséphine examined the mechanisms that influence sex ratio in this pest as well as male and female mating behaviour. Finally, she demonstrated the presence of horizontally transferred Wolbachia bacteria genes in the genome of S. noctilio.

 

Developing analytical frameworks for restoration of recovering ecosystems through trait-based ecology and dark diversity

Overview

Two recently published papers look at new ways to guide restoration efforts.

Forests are increasingly degraded worldwide, leading to a greater demand for restoration initiatives that mitigate climate change while enhancing the benefits we receive from ecosystems. Traits—universal plant characteristics that affect how species respond to the environment or influence ecosystem functions—have been suggested as a promising way to link plant community composition to the restoration of ecosystem services within restoration programs. For example, selecting species with high leaf nitrogen content will speed up litter decomposition rates, which may promote soil health. Traits can be used not only to select species that can deliver specific ecosystem functions, but also to monitor restoration success. Despite its potential, this approach remains underutilized as it is challenging to put into practice.

A recently published paper by Dr. Isabelle Aubin, Élise Deschênes and collaborators seeks to bridge this gap by providing guidance to scientists and practitioners interested in applying a trait-based approach to restore forest ecosystems. The article “Restoring forest ecosystem services through trait-based ecology” outlines a five-step framework to integrate trait-based approaches in restoration projects, illustrated by three Canadian case studies:

  1. restoring urban woodlots after an insect outbreak
  2. restoring landscapes damaged by smelters near urban areas
  3. reclaiming remote upland forests affected by oil and gas activities

The five-step framework outlines the necessary steps to effectively integrate trait-based ecology throughout all phases of a restoration project, while outlining issues and offering practical information.

As well, considering the extent of degraded land worldwide, utilizing ecosystems' natural recovery potential is crucial for enhancing the scale and efficacy of restoration interventions and achieve global restoration goals. However, this potential is currently underutilized in restoration ecology, and barriers to natural species recruitment remain poorly understood.

Another recently published paper, “Using a trait-based dark diversity approach to evaluate natural recovery potential in forests”, by Élise Deschênes, Kierann Santala, Jonathan Lavigne and Dr. Isabelle Aubin from GLFC explores the use of a new approach to restoration ecology that looks at the dark diversity of recovering ecosystems. This approach focuses on the species that are missing in recovering habitats, rather than traditional methods that only look at species that are present. This approach was applied to evaluate the recovery of understory plant communities in 18 naturally recovering smelter impacted forests in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada.

Dark diversity was used to identify barriers to natural recovery and to evaluate the completeness of community recovery. This approach offers complementary information to traditional measures of community recovery and can be used to identify priority areas and species for restoration interventions, which provides guidance on how to target restoration interventions more effectively and efficiently.

For more information contact Dr. Isabelle Aubin or Élise Deschênes.

 

Drivers and impacts of the record-breaking 2023 wildfire season in Canada

Overview

GLFC scientists contribute to a journal article summarizing the main causes and impacts of Canada’s historic 2023 fire season.

The 2023 wildfire season in Canada was unprecedented in its scale and intensity, spanning from mid-April to late October and across much of the forested regions of Canada. The contributing factors are discussed in Drivers and Impacts of the Record-breaking 2023 Wildfire Season in Canada.

Several environmental factors that converged early in the season, such as early snowmelt, multiannual drought conditions in western Canada, and the rapid transition to drought in eastern Canada, resulted in the record-breaking total area burned of approximately 15 million hectares (Mha). This shattered the previous record of 6.7 Mha in 1989.

Anthropogenic climate change enabled extreme fire weather conditions for long periods, since the mean May to October temperature over Canada in 2023 was 2.2 °C warmer than the 1991-2020 average. The impacts were profound with more than 200 communities evacuated, millions exposed to hazardous air quality from smoke, and unmatched demands on fire-fighting resources.

The 2023 wildfire season in Canada not only set new records, but highlights the increasing challenges posed by wildfires in Canada. While 2023 was unique in both magnitude and character, scientists and managers have long anticipated the growing potential for increased fire activity.

For more information contact Drs. Chelene Hanes or Dan Thompson.

 

A cost-benefit analysis of WildFireSat, a wildfire monitoring satellite mission for Canada

Overview

A new study compares the costs and benefits of the WildFireSat mission.

In anticipation of growing wildfire management challenges, the Canadian government is investing in WildFireSat, an Earth observation satellite mission designed to collect data in support of Canadian wildfire management. Although costs of the mission can be reasonably estimated, the benefits of such an investment are unknown.

Estimating the costs of a future satellite mission is relatively easy; costs are assumed to be like existing satellite missions. Estimating the economic benefits of the same future mission is difficult. Despite this difficulty, comparing the costs with the benefits of satellite missions is an important step for the governments and agencies sponsoring the endeavour. In the context of WildFireSat, understanding how the mission will impact fire management and generate economic benefits is key for ensuring continued investments.

In 2020, a research project was launched to estimate the economic value of the WildFireSat mission. The research project started by identifying potential real-world changes that WildFireSat data products could motivate within wildfire management. With an optimistic view, it was assumed that the use of new and improved fire information would lead to more informed decision-making, which would generate reductions in suppression costs, timber losses, property and asset losses, evacuations and health costs. However, the research also included a pessimistic view, such that WildFireSat data products could result in increases in those same parameters.

The results given in “A cost-benefit analysis of WildFireSat, a wildfire monitoring satellite mission for Canada” published in PlosONE identify the optimistic view finds that WildFireSat could generate economic benefits ten times greater than the mission costs. However, the pessimistic view suggests that the costs might break even with the benefits. The degree of economic benefit depends on the variability of the wildfire seasons that could occur during the satellite's operating life.

Once operational, the WildFireSat mission will provide a range of data products to wildland fire management agencies. However, the impact these products will have on wildfire management will depend on the successful uptake of these products (see Canadian Fire Management Agency Readiness for WildFireSat: Assessment and Strategies for Enhanced Preparedness)

For more information contact Emily Hope, Dan McKenney, Lynn Johnston, or Joshua Johnston.

 

Improving the efficacy of surveillance activities for Asian longhorned beetle and detection in the early stages of colonization

Overview

GLFC staff study data collected during the eradication program in Toronto against the Asian longhorned beetle.

In 2003, an eradication program was undertaken in the Greater Toronto Area against the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB), a pest of maple trees introduced from China. During that program, information was collected on the abundance and distribution of numerous signs of injury found on wounded trees. A portion of this information used to assess the characteristics of logs with signs of oviposition (i.e., pits). Specifically, the basal diameter, type (log bole vs. log branch), height above ground, and branch hierarchy level of logs with pits to tree size (i.e., height and diameter at breast height) and the level of infestation intensity (i.e., the total number of signs of oviposition per tree) were related.

Dr. Jean Turgeon, John Pedlar, Ron Fournier and others recently presented results in “Characteristics of logs with signs of oviposition by the polyphagous xylophage Asian longhorned beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae)”. In general, pits were concentrated on logs from the bole and branches that were 8-14 cm in diameter, in the lower 8 m of the bole, and in the first two levels of the branching hierarchy. Oviposition pit location was strongly influenced by tree size, both height and diameter at breast height, with more pits on the lower bole in small trees and then higher on the bole and into the branches as tree size increased. As tree-level infestation intensity increased, pits were found on both larger and smaller diameter portions of the trees, presumably as preferred oviposition sites became saturated. Specifically, early attacks tended to focus on stem diameters approximately 8 cm in size which are often located at about 40% of stem height and/or in first and second order branches of larger trees.

These findings can improve the efficacy of surveillance activities for ALB and should help to improve the likelihood of detecting ALB in the early stages of colonization, when stem infestation intensity is low.

For more information, contact John Pedlar or Ron Fournier.

 

Response of stream habitat and microbiomes to spruce budworm defoliation: New considerations for outbreak management

Overview

GLFC scientists look at the importance of incorporating broader ecological processes into spruce budworm management decisions.

Eastern spruce budworm is one of the most important natural disturbances in Canadian boreal and hemi-boreal forests with annual area affected surpassing that of fire and harvest combined, and impacts are projected to increase in frequency, severity, and range under future climate scenarios. Deciding on an active management strategy to control outbreaks and minimize broader economic, ecological, and social impacts is becoming increasingly important. These strategies differ in the degree to which defoliation is suppressed, but little is known about the downstream consequences of defoliation and, thus, the broader implications of its management.

Given the disproportionate role of headwater streams and their microbiomes on net riverine productivity across forested landscapes, the effects of defoliation by spruce budworm on headwater stream habitat and microbiome structure and function was investigated to inform management decisions. A gradient of defoliation was experimentally manipulated among 12 watersheds during a spruce budworm outbreak in the Gaspésie Peninsula, Québec, then several water-related indicators, including stream habitat and microbiome community structure and function indicators were measured.

It was found that defoliation resulted in increased stream flow rates and temperatures, and more runoff of soil-derived “aromatic” dissolved organic matter. Defoliation also altered microbial community composition in ways that suggest that microbes are shifting their carbon use in response to these changes. These results demonstrate that high levels of defoliation can affect headwater stream microbiomes to the point of altering stream ecosystem productivity and carbon cycling potential. This finding highlights the importance of incorporating broader ecological processes into spruce budworm management decisions.

For more information contact Dr. Erik Emilson or Madison McCaig.

 

Tree planted in honour of the late Dr. Fred Beall

Overview

A plaque has been installed in the GLFC Arboretum to identify Fred’s Douglas-fir.

The plaque reads: “This tree was planted in memory of Dr. Fred Beall (1954–2019, Ph. D., University of Alberta), a plant physiologist and hydrologist with the Canadian Forest Service, who was a strong advocate for all the staff and their research. Fred loved the west and his favourite tree was the Douglas-fir. This tree shall be Fred’s Douglas-fir. June 2020.”

 

Publications

  • To order copies of these publications, please contact the Great Lakes Forestry Centre publications assistant.
  • Publications are available in English unless otherwise indicated.
Recent publications

Aubin, I.; Deschênes, É.; Santala, K. R.; Emilson, E. J. S.; Schoonmaker, A.; McIntosh, A.; Bourgeois, B.; Cardou, F.; Dupuch, A.; Handa, T.; LaPointe, M.; Lavigne, J.; Maheu, A.; Nadeau, S.; Naeh, A.; Neilson, E. W.; Wiebe, P.A. (2024). Restoring forest ecosystem services through trait-based ecology. Environmental Reviews. e-First.


Cooke, B.J. 2024. On the characterization of patterning in spruce budworm time-series data. Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 54, 10, 1183-1197.


Cooke, B.J. 2024. Diversity, Stability, and the Forecast Challenge in Forest Lepidopteran Predictive Ecology: Are Multi-Scale Plant–Insect Interactions the Key to Increased Forecast Precision? Forests, 15, 9.


Dawson, J. C.; Guzzo, M.M.; Gunn, J. M.; Emilson, E.J.S.; McCann, K.S.; Edwards, B.A. (2024). Stable isotope analysis provides novel insights for measuring lake ecosystem recovery following acidification. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 81, 7, 904-918.


Deschênes, É., Santala, K.R., Lavigne, J. and Aubin, I. (2024), Using a trait-based dark diversity approach to evaluate natural recovery potential in forests. Restoration Ecology.e14251.12 p.


Hope, E.S.; McKenney D.W.; Johnston, L.M.; Johnston, J.M. 2024. A cost-benefit analysis of WildFireSat, a wildfire monitoring satellite mission for Canada. PLoS ONE 19(5): e0302699.


Jain, P.; Barber, Q.E.; Taylor, S.W.; Whitman, E.; Acuna, D.C.; Boulanger, Y.; Chavardès, R.D.; Chen, J.; Englefield, P.; Flannigan, M.; Girardin, M.P.; Hanes, C.C.; Little, J.; Morrison, K.; Skakun, R.S.; Thompson, D.K.; Wang, X.; Parisien, M-A 2024. Drivers and Impacts of the Record-Breaking 2023 Wildfire Season in Canada. Nature Communications Volume 15, Article: 6764 (2024).


Kingsbury, N.; Fauteux, S. 2024. Highlights of Work 2020-2024. Canadian Wood Fibre Centre. Natural Resources Canada. 16 p.


Lu, P.; Beaulieu, J.; Pedlar, J.; Parker, W.C.; McKenney, D.W.; Benomar, L. 2024. Assessing assisted population migration (seed transfer) for eastern white pine at northern planting sites. Forest Ecology and Management, Volume 572. 28 p.


MacDonald, H.; McKenney, D.W.; Pedlar, J.; Lawrence, K.; de Boer, K.; Hutchinson, M.F. 2024. Spatial datasets of 30-year (1991–2020) average monthly total precipitation and minimum/maximum temperature for Canada and the United States. Elsevier Data in Brief Volume 55, August 2024, 110561.


McCaig, M. L.; Kidd, K.A.; Smenderovac, E.E.; Perrotta, B.G.; Emilson, C.E.; Stastny, M.; Venier, L.; Emilson, E.J.S. Canadian Forest Service (2024). Response of stream habitat and microbiomes to spruce budworm defoliation: New considerations for outbreak management. Ecological Applications, 34, 7, 1-19.


Pedlar, J.H.; McKenney, D.W.; Sandvall, K.; Zurbrigg, H.; McLaven, K. 2024. Assisted migration outcomes for oak species and seed sources in southern Ontario, Canada. Front. For. Glob. Change, 25 August 2024. Sec. Forest Management. Volume 7 – 2024.


Turgeon, J. J.; Pedlar, J. H.; Fournier, R. E.; Smith, M. T.; Orr, M.; Gasman, B. 2024. Characteristics of logs with signs of oviposition by the polyphagous xylophage Asian longhorned beetle (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae). Environmental Entomology. May 15: nvae041.


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