Trees in transition: Sudbury and Nipissing Forests have mixed species.

• Author: Cowan, Liz
• Position: FORESTRY

Managing a forest involves much more than planting trees. Various users, ranging from commercial to recreational, have to be considered along with the flora and fauna.

"The issues and the forests here are unique in that they are in transition between the Boreal Forest to the north and the Great Lakes Forest in the south" said Peter Street, manager of Nipissing Forest Resource Management Inc. and Vermilion Forest Management Company Ltd.

Street, who manages his time between the two companies to oversee both the Sudbury and Nipissing Forests, said both have been harvested for a couple hundred years.

The Sudbury Forest takes in an area that stretches from the French River to Lady Evelyn-Smooth water Provincial Park and from Nairn Centre to Warren. The adjacent Nipissing Forest stretches from Warren to Mattawa and from Trout Creek to between Temagami and Marten Riven

"There is a lot of historical activity in the forests which is somewhat challenging," he said. "The forests are quite mixed with a variety of tree species. There is a lot more birch and poplar in these forests now than there was pre-settlement times so we are trying to return the forests to more pre-settlement conditions."

That involves raising the amount of red and white pine in the forests and trying to maintain or increase hemlock and sugar maple.

"It is a challenge and takes quite a while to re-establish the forest," Street said.

Three types of silviculture techniques are used to manage the two forests.

For shade-tolerant maples, about a third of the individual trees are harvested in a maple forest and in the following 20 to 30 years, another third is taken out. Different sizes are removed so the forest is of mixed age.

Mid-tolerant trees, such as oak and white pine, need about 50 per cent shade so about 40 per cent of the trees in the harvest area are removed.

Spruce, poplar, birch and jackpine require full sunlight and they have evolved, to generate after forest fires so a clear-cut system is used for those areas.

"When harvesting a clear-cut area, we have a variety of sizes and cuts and we need 25 trees per hectare to remain standing in the cuts," Street said. "We also have to leave insular and peninsular patches to emulate the pattern of fires."

Both forests provide about 30 different mills with wood including operations in Pembroke, Espanola and Temiscaming, QC. The forests are also heavily populated, with the Sudbury one being the most populated in Ontario.

"There is an...