Regions: Dehcho Region, North Slave Region, South Slave Region
Tags: biology, landscape disturbance, forestry, dendrochronology, forest fire
| Principal Investigator: | Wallenius, Tuomo H (1) |
| Licence Number: | 14527 |
| Organization: | Finnish Forest Research Institute |
| Licensed Year(s): |
2009
|
| Issued: | Jun 03, 2009 |
| Project Team: | Minna Väliranta (Researcher, University of Helsinki), Ullastiina Mahlamäki (Research assistant, Finnish Forest Research Institute), Pirita Oksanen (Research assistant, University of Helsinki), Phil Burton (Collaborating local researcher, University of Northern British Columbia) |
Objective(s): The research objective is to study the occurrence of forest fires in Northern Canada during the past 200 years. Researchers are especially interested in large scale averages and changes in the estimated fire return intervals/annually burned proportions of the landscape.
Project Description: This licence is being issued for the scientific research application No.1103. The research objective is to study the occurrence of forest fires in Northern Canada during the past 200 years. They are especially interested in large scale averages and changes in the estimated fire return intervals/annually burned proportions of the landscape. Specific research questions are: 1. How often forest have burned in North Canada during the past 200 years? 2. Has there been any clear changes in the occurrence of fires? 3. How the fires affect forest structure and vegetation? Sampling will include random sampling of fire scarred trees and tree ages along highways and accessible roads based on the following methodology: At most 60 circular study plots will be sampled with an average area of about 3.2 ha. These plots will be distributed along accessible roads, at least 40 km apart from each other. Each plot will be about 40km apart avoiding private lands. In each study plot researchers will cut at most 10 dominant trees, on average less than six trees. Trees will be cut in order to get accurate tree age and fire scar samples. In part of the cases it would be possible to take only increment core samples (and not cut the trees), however, cutting the trees provides much better samples allowing accurate dating of trees, and the aim is to use only the most accurate methods. The tree disks will then be dated in a laboratory. Tree ages indicate the minimum time since the last fire. Fire scars provide accurate year for the last fire and possibly also for the previous fires if there are multiple scars on a tree. In addition researchers will make an inventory of the vegetation (species and their coverage) in a set of sub plots within 20 m from the study plot center. In a few study plots (at most 10) researchers will extract small peat samples (less than 3 liters). These samples will be taken in order to get information about the development of the mire vegetation. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted within 1.2km of all accessible highways and summer roads in the NWT from June 3 to June, 29 2009.
