The preindustrial forest of the Mauricie, Quebec: what did it look like and how does the current forest differ? Providing guidance for ecosystem management

In light of the current crisis in our forests, there has been a general push towards ecosystem management, in which forests are managed for ecological as well as social and economic values. One way to accomplish this may be for management to emulate natural disturbance patterns, thus creating a forest similar to the natural forest. Unfortunately, industrial exploitation has been so extensive that it is often impossible to tell what the natural forest should look like without extensive research on natural disturbance patterns and historical forest composition. The internship proposes to build a portrait of the natural, preindustrial forest of the Mauricie in Quebec and compare it with the current state of the forest to facilitate the development of ecosystem management in the area.

Faculty Supervisor:

Dr. Christian Messier

Student:

Rebecca Tittler

Partner:

AbitibiBowater

Discipline:

Biology

Sector:

Forestry

University:

Université du Québec à Montréal