| Abstract/Description or Keywords |
Mountain pine beetles have killed a large percentage of mature Lodgepole pine trees over an area of more than 14 million hectares in the B.C. Interior (B.C. Ministry of Forests and Range, 2008). Research has shown that this can increase the magnitude of spring runoff (Uunila et al., 2006). Forest licensees are also permitted to log beetle-attacked pine stands at an accelerated rate (BC Ministry of Forests and Range, 2004). The net effect is that most of B.C.’s mature pine stands will be changing rapidly over the next decades due to deterioration of the overstory, natural regeneration, clearcut harvesting, and managed reforestation. This project is documenting differences in structure between pine stands at different stages of growth and deterioration, changes within stands over time, and the effects of those differences on snow hydrology at the stand-level. This will help watershed modellers predict possible changes in stream flow due to pine beetles and forest management. The map below shows the locations of 5 study areas where this work is being done. In order to make watershed management decisions, managers need professional advice on the expected hydrologic effects of pine beetles and logging under different scenarios. The quality of such advice can be improved with the application of a watershed runoff model that accurately represents what is happening at the stand-level. This project is improving our understanding of stand-level processes by quantifying snow hydrology and stand characteristics in natural and managed pine stands at different stages of deterioration and recovery. Each study area has at least five plots including one in a recent clearcut, at least one in a partially-recovered clearcut, and at least three in a natural pine stands. The Rosita and Vanderhoof study areas also include immature natural pine stands recovering from wildfire. The Rosita study area includes two stands that were severely attacked by beetles in the early 1980s. Differences in snow accumulation and ablation are being compared with stand properties derived from tree surveys, ground-based canopy photography, and high resolution aerial photography. |
