GREATER FUNDY ECOSYSTEM RESEARCH PROJECT

UNB Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management

Forest Management Guidelines to Protect
Native Biodiversity in the Fundy Model Forest

APPLICATION TO THE FUNDY MODEL FOREST
CASE STUDY AREA

One of the goals of the Fundy Model Forest is to develop an integrated management plan. A case study area, approximately one-third of the FMF area, was chosen by the FMF partners as a trial application of the guidelines and recommendations of the Partnership.

The case study area (Figure 2) is 114,782 ha (1149 km2) of which 83% (95,507 ha, 955 km2) is productive forest. The area is composed of 4 Ecodistricts: the Petitcodiac Ecodistrict (Eastern Lowlands Ecoregion) (29,844 ha); the Anagance Ridge Ecodistrict (Continental Lowlands Ecoregion)(15,568 ha); the Fundy Plateau Ecodistrict (Southern Uplands Ecoregion) (32,271 ha); and the Fundy Coastal Ecodistrict (Fundy Coastal Ecoregion)(16,061 ha)

Land ownership in the case study area is SNB (46%), Crown (24%), J.D. Irving (20%), Fundy National Park (9%) and Other (1%). It is not known how much of the forest is managed for timber but no cutting occurs in FNP. Most of the area (62% or 71,401 ha) is in "natural" forest condition, 11% (12,626 ha) in regenerating condition, and 8% (9,478 ha) is in plantation.

Figure 2. Fundy Model Forest and the Case Study Area.

The original mandate of the GFE research project focused on the crown and freehold properties adjacent to Fundy National Park. Much of this area is dominated by large-scale forest operations.

We believe that biodiversity conservation management is best accomplished through a combination of coarse-filter and fine-filter strategies. The GFE guidelines, at present, emphasise the coarse-filter approaches. Best management practices will be developed further to promote operational activities that can retain biodiversity.

The application of coarse-filter guidelines to the small-sized properties of the private woodlot owner is more difficult. For example, the minimum size of mature patches is harder to implement on 500 ha owned by 10 people than 500 ha owned by one person, particularly if the multiple-owned 500 ha is the only revenue-generating forest the owner has. Appendix 1 provides some suggestions on applying the GFE guidelines to smaller-sized woodlots.

The following information outlines the application of the GFE Guidelines for biodiversity to the case study area.

The UNB Forestry Home Page

 

Information provided by:
Dr. Graham Forbes
Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management at UNB
Last Update: Dec 17, 1997
This document: http://www.unb.ca/web/forestry/centers/cwru/applic.htm