18. Biodiversity of Canadian Forests
367
guidelines can be established, as has been done in Ontario, the ecological
consequences of such choices can be determined only through a comprehensive program of research. The assumption is often made that
natural regeneration guarantees maintenance of diversity. This is true
only when harvesting operations mimic natural disturbances in a given
ecosystem. Thus, the New Forestry style of harvesting practices, with
retention of trees , snags, and logs, may adequately mimic a natural
disturbance such as fire in the coastal forest. Applying the same design to
boreal or Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forests may not be justifiable.
Research on Forest Biodiversity in Canada
The substantial differences in constitutions and land tenure systems
between Canada and the United States have resulted in fewer legislative
pressures in Canada to incorporate diversity issues into planning and
management. As a result, research on biodiversity in Canadian forests
has not been as active as in the United States. However, current domestic
and international initiatives addressing biodiversity have led to a rapid
expansion in research effort devoted to diversity issues. A major impetus
to such research has been the federal government's " Green Plan ," released
in December 1990, through which substantial sums of money have been
identified to support activities related to biodiversity. Research related
to biodiversity has been supported by the Green Plan under both the
Forest Practices and National Forest Genetic Resources Centre (NFGRC)
initiatives.
Although research on biodiversity of Canadian forests in now conducted
throughout the country , much of it is focused on old-growth forests,
especially the old-growth forests of the west coast (see Table 18.2 for a
representative listing of current projects). There is a very broad spectrum
of research on biodiversity currently being conducted, with the involvement of a diverse array of agencies, including federal and provincial
governments , universities , and industry . Despite cooperation among
agencies, it is the view of this author that there is still an overall lack of
coordination, largely due to the independence of the relevant agencies.
The result is a lack of sites with comprehensive estimates of genetic and
species diversity, including temporal and spatial variation, and the effects
of forestry practices . Without such information, scientifically tenable
assessments of the impact of various human or natural events cannot
be made .
A more complete understanding of ecosystem functioning and the role
of individual species is required in order to assess the consequences
human impacts. Namkoong (1992) argued for a process-oriented approach
by proposing that the goal for management of natural ecosystems should
be the maintenance of ecological integrity, and conservation of biodiversity should be seen as a means of attaining that goal, or an indicator,
367
guidelines can be established, as has been done in Ontario, the ecological
consequences of such choices can be determined only through a comprehensive program of research. The assumption is often made that
natural regeneration guarantees maintenance of diversity. This is true
only when harvesting operations mimic natural disturbances in a given
ecosystem. Thus, the New Forestry style of harvesting practices, with
retention of trees , snags, and logs, may adequately mimic a natural
disturbance such as fire in the coastal forest. Applying the same design to
boreal or Great Lakes-St. Lawrence forests may not be justifiable.
Research on Forest Biodiversity in Canada
The substantial differences in constitutions and land tenure systems
between Canada and the United States have resulted in fewer legislative
pressures in Canada to incorporate diversity issues into planning and
management. As a result, research on biodiversity in Canadian forests
has not been as active as in the United States. However, current domestic
and international initiatives addressing biodiversity have led to a rapid
expansion in research effort devoted to diversity issues. A major impetus
to such research has been the federal government's " Green Plan ," released
in December 1990, through which substantial sums of money have been
identified to support activities related to biodiversity. Research related
to biodiversity has been supported by the Green Plan under both the
Forest Practices and National Forest Genetic Resources Centre (NFGRC)
initiatives.
Although research on biodiversity of Canadian forests in now conducted
throughout the country , much of it is focused on old-growth forests,
especially the old-growth forests of the west coast (see Table 18.2 for a
representative listing of current projects). There is a very broad spectrum
of research on biodiversity currently being conducted, with the involvement of a diverse array of agencies, including federal and provincial
governments , universities , and industry . Despite cooperation among
agencies, it is the view of this author that there is still an overall lack of
coordination, largely due to the independence of the relevant agencies.
The result is a lack of sites with comprehensive estimates of genetic and
species diversity, including temporal and spatial variation, and the effects
of forestry practices . Without such information, scientifically tenable
assessments of the impact of various human or natural events cannot
be made .
A more complete understanding of ecosystem functioning and the role
of individual species is required in order to assess the consequences
human impacts. Namkoong (1992) argued for a process-oriented approach
by proposing that the goal for management of natural ecosystems should
be the maintenance of ecological integrity, and conservation of biodiversity should be seen as a means of attaining that goal, or an indicator,