Articles on Forest Ecology in British Columbia

Natural Disturbances Have Broad Boundaries

The transition between a stand affected by wildfire or mountain pine beetles and an undisturbed forest is seldom abrupt.

Ecosystems Unevenly Represented

How well a landscape’s ecosystems are represented in non-harvestable forests varies throughout British Columbia.

Gaps Remain in Protecting BC’s Trees

More rare ecosystems in British Columbia's Bunchgrass, Ponderosa Pine and Interior Douglas-fir biogeoclimatic zones gained protected status during the 1990s.

Logged and Burned Forests Have Similar Birds

The types of birds living in a young forest depends not so much on whether the site was previously logged or burned, but more on the makeup of tree cover left behind.

Garry Oaks Declining in Endangered Ecosystem

The relatively undisturbed example of endangered Garry oak savanna at Rocky Point near Victoria, BC seems to be a fleeting artefact of European settlement.

Little Variation Exists Among Garry Oaks

Garry oak, a key member of an endangered ecosystem in British Columbia, shows little genetic variability throughout its range from Courtenay, BC to northern California.

Some Conifers Clump, Others Scatter

How three species of conifers become distributed throughout a forest as it ages is mediated by competition.

Change Dawdles in an Ancient Forest

In a subalpine forest on Mount Elphinstone near Gibsons, British Columbia, the turnover of trees is exceptionally infrequent, putting this 1000-year-old forest at the far end of the scale for stand disturbance dynamics.

Fallen Trees Host Wildlife for Many Decades

Subalpine fir and interior spruce trees can serve as wildlife habitat for 100 years or more after they die.

Large, Old Trees Best Suited For Wildlife

In wet forests that are dominated by ancient red cedars, 22 to 30% of trees offer enough habitat for birds and mammals to be classified as a wildlife tree.

Mite Species Differ Greatly Among Habitats

Various species of mites specialize in where and when they colonize dead tree needles.

Fungi Help Black Spruce Adapt to Different Soils

The suite of symbiotic fungi associated with black spruce tree roots indicates the tree adapts well to soils ranging from dry uplands to saturated wetlands.

Mushrooms Become Scarce After Clearcutting

Most of the mushrooms from ectomycorrhizal fungi found in mature birch and Douglas-fir forests do not appear in recent clearcuts.

Pine Mushrooms Require Mature Forests

Forests must at least be over 85 years old for the commercially-valuable pine mushrooms to emerge in northwest British Columbia’s Kispiox Valley.

Forest Edges Rich in Mosses

The edges of remnant old-growth forests harbour a mix of mosses and liverworts that favour interior forest habitat as well as disturbed sites.

Large Stands of Yellow Cedar Mysteriously Dying

The phenomenon of dying yellow cedar prevalent in southeast Alaska is now documented as extending at least 150 km southwards into British Columbia.

Yellow Cedar Vulnerable to Spring Cold

In a further attempt to unravel the mystery of what is killing yellow cedar in southeast Alaska, scientists have turned to climate change as a possible culprit.