Turkey Lakes tree harvesting impacts project

Turkey Lakes Harvesting Impacts Project

The forest before you is a tolerant hardwood forest. It is dominated by sugar maple (90%), other hardwoods (9% - primarily yellow birch) and conifers (1%). This project focuses on silvicultural treatments in tolerant hardwood forests in the Boreal Ecozone. It is a randomized block field experiment with four replications each of four harvest treatments: Clearcutting, Shelterwood, Selection and Uncut Control (Figure 1). The project is situated on the outflow side of the Turkey Lakes Watershed. Continuous baseline environmental monitoring has been conducted at this location for 18 years prior to harvesting. It continues unimpeded while the impacts of the harvest treatments are studied separately and the results incorporated into the knowledge base.

The project objectives are:
-to quantify impacts of alternative silvicultural systems, and
-to develop environmentally-sustainable silvicultural systems and associated practices that maintain biodiversity and minimize on-site and off-site impacts.

Studies examine impacts on soil productivity, stand structure and function, forest health, climate change, successional pathways, diversity of plants and animals, and forest hydrology.

Research Partners

• Natural Resources Canada
  • Canadian Forestry Service
  • Great Lakes Forest Centre
• Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
  • Central Ontario Science and Technology
  • Ontario Forest Research Institute
  • Sault Ste. Marie District
• Environment Canada
  • National Water Research Institute
  • Meteorological Service of Canada
  • Canadian Wildlife Service
• Fisheries and Oceans Canada
• Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada
• Agawa Forest Products Ltd.
• Clergue Forest Management Inc.
• Meakin Forest Enterprises Limited