EDMONTON — Current clearcutting practices sometimes outpace the recovery times of vital boreal forest species, according to a groundbreaking global analysis led by University of Alberta researchers.
The study, published in the journal Nature Sustainability, was co-led by biologist Dr. Ellen Macdonald and ecologist Dr. Anne McIntosh. It is the first of its kind to examine an extended timeline for recovery and a wide range of life in boreal forests after clearcutting — the practice of harvesting all the trees for one area, primarily for lumber or pulp and paper production. Analyzing 190 datasets across North America, Europe, and Russia, researchers tracked how clearcutting affects birds, small mammals, insects, spiders, plants and lichens.
While faster-growing broadleaf forests like aspen and birch often recovered within 30 years — soon enough to fall within typical 60- to 80-year logging cycles — recovery in mixed and coniferous forests took much longer. In these habitats, recovery took more than 55 years for small mammals like mice and voles, 85 years for flowering plants, 95 years for lichens, and more than 100 years for mosses.
Furthermore, beetles dependent on deadwood showed no signs of recovery within the available three decades of existing data.
"If forestry operations continue with repeated cycles of current clearcutting practices, some of these species are essentially never going to recover," warns Dr. Macdonald.
To protect this critical biodiversity, the researchers urge a shift toward targeted forest management. Recommended strategies include extending the years between harvests, completely protecting vulnerable zones, and adopting alternative practices like retention harvesting, which leaves live trees and deadwood behind to "lifeboat" slow-growing species, McIntosh notes.
The research was supported by the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute, the Alberta Conservation Association, Mitacs, and NSERC.
More information can be found here. To schedule an interview, please contact:
Sarah Vernon | U of A Media Strategist | svernon@ualberta.ca