MTRI - Projects - Forest - Red Oaks
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Why are we studying oak?
Red oak is an integral component of the Acadian Forest, providing food and shelter for a wide array of wildlife. However, forestry practices conducted in the greater Kejimkujik ecosystem since European settlement in the mid-1700s have fundamentally altered the structure of Acadian Forests in this area. Data from two Smithsonian Institution Monitoring and Assessment of Biodiversity (SI/MAB) Forest Plots within Kejimkujik indicate a proportionately significant decline in Red oak stands. The aim of this project is to assess the distribution, age structure and health of Red oaks in the greater Kejimkujik ecosystem and to quantify levels of Red oak regeneration. Understanding recruitment and population dynamics of Red oak will help develop treatments for the maintenance of this species.
Project objectives
- To map and describe the distribution of Red oak in Kejimkujik and areas surrounding the park.
- To establish monitoring plots that will be used for future study and provide a long-term understanding of Red oak population dynamics.
Methods
- Two helicopter surveys were conducted over Kejimkujik and areas surrounding the park in November. Red oak is one of only a few native hardwood species that retain their leaves late into the fall, which makes this an ideal time for stand identification.
- Stand coordinates were recorded using GPS devices. Researchers also made ocular estimates of the proportion of Red oak occupying each stand.
- Data concerning stand location and their Red oak proportion was entered into GIS (mapping) software to create a Red oak stand map. Individual stands were color coded according to Red oak proportion on a green-to-red scale.
Results
- Seventy-two red oak stands were surveyed, mapped, and classified by the proportion of oak estimated in the overstory.
- Most red oak stands had a moderate proportion of oak (30% of the canopy estimated from aerial surveys); only 7 sites had greater than 50% oak in the canopy.
Years of Data
- Year 2 of an ongoing project
Partners
- Mersey Tobeatic Research Institute
- Parks Canada
- Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources