1 / 24

Heather Klassen Asst. Research Ecologist Heather.A.Klassen@gov.bc

Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations(MFLNRO) Coast Forest Area Ecosystem Classification Aug 2012. Heather Klassen Asst. Research Ecologist Heather.A.Klassen@gov.bc.ca Marty Kranabetter Research Pedologist Andy MacKinnon Research Ecologist

maed
Télécharger la présentation

Heather Klassen Asst. Research Ecologist Heather.A.Klassen@gov.bc

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations(MFLNRO)Coast Forest AreaEcosystem ClassificationAug 2012 • Heather Klassen Asst. Research Ecologist Heather.A.Klassen@gov.bc.ca • Marty Kranabetter Research Pedologist • Andy MacKinnon Research Ecologist Andy.MacKinnon@gov.bc.ca • Sari Saunders Research Ecologist Sari.Saunders@gov.bc.ca

  2. We classify ecosystems to… • To provide a framework for understanding and studying ecosystems • To predict outcomes of management or disturbance • To provide a baseline for representation planning and management • To understand trends and future conditions • Applications • Forest Industry • - What are the right trees to plant where? • - What is the future timber supply? • - Development plan approval • - Certification • Mining/Industrial • - Development plan approval • Guide-Outfit & Non-timber Forest Products • - What/Where is good habitat? • - Wildlife habitat suitability, capability (TEM)

  3. Applications (continued) • Setting operational standards e.g., stand-level retention • Setting management priorities • Building regional strategies e.g., Ecosystem-based Management • Conservation, e.g., red and blue listed communities • Landscape planning (representation) e.g., placing Old Growth Management Areas • Resource inventory, e.g., within Terrestrial Ecosystem Mapping • Understanding trends and future e.g., climate change (Future Forests Ecosystems Initiative),seed transfer protocols

  4. Key BEC Concepts • Ecosystem • Succession and Site potential • “Climax” • Edatopic grid • Ecological equivalence

  5. What is an Ecosystem? • Interacting biotic and abiotic features • Open systems • Water, energy, and materials move across boundaries • Used to develop a “Natural” classification Above & Below Ground Climate Vegetation Relief Animals ParentMaterials Micro -organisms The BioticCommunity The Site ECOSYSTEM

  6. SeralStage Shrub-herb(SH) Pole-sapling(PS) Young Forest (YF) Mature forest (MF) Old Forest (OF) $ Fireweed -Red raspberry $ Pl -Westernhemlock Seral plantassociation(common name) $ Pl - Thimbleberry CwHw -Oak fern Plantassociation CwHw - Oak fern Succession & Site Potential

  7. Climax Ecosystems - categories • Climatic – basis for the BEC classification • Ecosystems that reflect the development potential due to prevailing regional climate • Edaphic • Ecosystems that differ from climatic climax due to extreme soil, substrate effects (e.g., poor drainage) • Topographic • Fire • Zootic

  8. A B C D E rich very rich very poor poor medium Edatopic Grid SOIL NUTRIENT REGIME • Combinations of SMR and SNR • demonstrates relationships of plant communities to environmental properties • 9 relative SMRs • can use indicator plants and soil properties • 5 actual SNRs ASMR RSMR Very Xeric 0 Xeric 1 Subxeric 2 Submesic 3 Mesic 4 SOIL MOISTURE REGIME Subhygric 5 Hygric 6 Subhydric 7 Hydric 8

  9. A B C D E rich very rich very poor poor medium Ecological Equivalence SOIL NUTRIENT REGIME Relative Actual Coarser texture Lower slope/flat Very Xeric 0 VD Xeric 1 VD Medium texture Mid slope Subxeric 2 MD Submesic 3 MD Mesic 4 Fine texture Upper slope MD SOIL MOISTURE REGIME Subhygric 5 SD = ecological equivalence Hygric 6 F Subhydric 7 M Hydric 8

  10. Biogeoclimatic Zone Classification Climatic

  11. Integrating • levels • classifications • types of information BEC Local level Site classification climate + edaphic properties Site Level (site series) Regional & subregional level Climate classification Veg/soil relationships as indicator CMA CMA CMA CWHvm MHmm CWHvm

  12. Naming Biogeoclimatic Subzones CWH xm 1 IDF ww CWH ds 1 ZONE xyz 1 x z SUBZONE y Coastal Zones Interior Zones Continentality Precipitation regime Parkland Temperature regime h = hypermaritime h = hot x = very dry (xeric) p = parkland m = maritime w = warm d = dry un* = undifferentiated unp* = undifferentiated parkland s = submaritime m = mild m = moist k = cool w = wet c = cold v = very wet v = very cold

  13. Bio(geo)climatic Units Defined • Stratifies landscape into “bioclimate” units • BGC Zones • reflect broader influence of climate (than subzone) • defined and characterized primarily by (shade tolerant) climax tree species • BGCsubzones and variants • further defined by understory composition • Characteristic plant community on the zonal site • Basic Unit is the BGC subzone • Similar regional climate • Defined by a distinct climax vegetation(the plant association) • Determined using zonal sites CWHvm– Hw, Ba (Cw, Yc) MHmm – Hm, Ba (Yc)

  14. Zonal Sites • flat to moderate slopes • middle slope positions thatneither shed nor receive anexcess of water and nutrients(inputs balance outputs) • medium soil texture (loam) • medium nutrient regime • moderately well-drained soils • no root restricting layers (deep rooting zone)

  15. BGC (Sub) Zones Defined by Old Forest on Zonal Site W. Hemlock/Amabilis Fir - Blueberry = CWHvm1 zonal

  16. Plant association Biogeoclimatic subzone (02) Green / zonal (01) (05) BEC - Integration of 3 Classifications Vegetation Climate (Zonal) Climax forests Zonal sites “Green” Subzone Biogeoclimatic variant Site Climax EcologicalEquivalence Site association Site series

  17. BGC Subzones - Definition and Delineation with zonal plant associations Climax forest Mesic/Medium conditions(zonal site) Climax forest Mesic/Medium conditions(zonal site) HwBa - Blueberry Subzone??? Hw - Flatmoss Subzone???

  18. Biogeoclimatic Units of the Southern Mainland (Zones & Subzones) ZONE IDF CDF IMA CMA MH CWH ESSF CDF mm ESSFmw CMA unp CWH dm ESSFmwp IMA un CWH ds MH mm IDF dk CWH ms IDF ww CWH vm SUBZONE CWH xm

  19. warm, relatively dry summers • mild winters, little snowfall • Fd, Cw, Hw • salal, red huckleberry • step moss, Oregon-beaked moss, lanky moss, flat moss CWHdm

  20. warm, dry summers (growing water deficit on zonal sites) • mild winters, little snowfall • Fd, Hw (Cw) • salal, dull Oregon-grape, red huckleberry • step moss, Oregon-beaked moss CWHxm nationalgeographic.ca goert.ca

  21. Variation across site series CWHxm

  22. Environmental properties used in site assessment

  23. 101 Zonal site series, version 1 (currently version 0) 102 Driest/poorest 110 Wetter than zonal This numbering enables one to tell: • Zonal site series • Site series drier than zonal (0# series) • Site series wetter than zonal (1# series) • The version of the classification • numbering relates to the driest part of the unit New numbering will be applied to: • Brand new site series (unpublished); forested site units (100 series) • Existing units when additional site series are added to their grid • Existing units when they are republished BWBSmw – DeLong 2009 Naming of Site Units – new system

  24. Site Association Definition • All sites capable of producing similar near climax vegetation in one or more biogeoclimatic units • More variable that site series; therefore less predictable for management application Site Series Definition • All sites capable of producing the same mature or late successional plant communities within a biogeoclimatic subzone or variant • Most commonly used category for field use =

More Related