Natural disturbance regimes for implementation of ecological forestry: a review and case study from Nova Scotia, Canada

Ecological forestry is based on the idea that forest patterns and processes are more likely to persist if harvest strategies produce stand structures, return intervals, severities similar those from natural disturbances. Taylor et al. (2020) reviewed disturbance regimes in Nova Scotia, Canada, support implementation of ecological forestry. In this follow-up paper, we (i) review use determine target rotations, age residual structures; (ii) describe a novel approach for developed Scotia. Most examples consider only local, dominant agent, such as fire boreal regions. Our included: using current land classification map potential vegetation (PNV) community types; determining cumulative effects all major disturbances, our case fire, hurricanes, windstorm, insect outbreaks each PNV; (iii) regime parameters derive guidelines PNV. We analyzed occurrence intervals low, moderate, high severity classes (<30, 30–60, >60% biomass living trees killed, respectively), which were used mean annual rates by class. Return infer age-class distributions high, low disturbances The range variation among PNVs was 0.28%·year –1 Tolerant Hardwood 2.1%·year Highland Fir PNV, equating 357 years 48 PNVs. As an example, interval PNV resulted rotation lengths 200 35% area, 500 40%, 1000 25%. proposed communities calculating corresponding or entry times appears be feasible method guide any region with strong system multiple agents.