Regeneration of lodgepole pine after wildfire in mountain pine beetle-killed stands in north-central British Columbia.

摘要

The ecological disturbance from wildfire (2004) on ~10,000 hectares of forests near the Kenny Dam presented a unique opportunity to study the natural and artificial regeneration in burned mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) infested stands in north-central British Columbia. Mountain pine beetle (MPB) has been documented as a natural disturbance agent that may precede wildfire in lodgepole pine forests (Pinus contorta var. latifolia). The objectives of this thesis were to i) characterize lodgepole pine regeneration and related micro-site conditions associated with wildfire, ii) identify limitations for germination, survival and recruitment of natural and artificial regeneration in relation to site moisture, fire severity, and vegetative competition, and iii) provide guidance on local operational management of MPB-killed stands.