| dc.description.abstract | Due to the suppression of forest fires and lack of implementation of
management tools such as prescribed burning, there has been a change in the
fire regime of Northern Ontario. This has led to larger, more intense fires which
are further influenced by climate change. There has been interest in recent
years into the potential to utilize salvaged wood from such fires, especially for
biomass because of the dryness of the wood. However, there is need for more
information on the properties of salvaged wood as it relates to fire intensity, and
time since fire. Downed woody debris also provides habitat for insects and other
wildlife, so it is important to understand what negative affects there may be from
harvesting this resource. In this study, samples of Northern Ontario tree species
were taken from stems with varying levels of burn and insect damage to
determine their moisture content, calorific qualities, and other general properties.
Sample plots from the locations where the samples were collected were taken to
provide information on estimated total volume based on fire intensity and pre-fire
stocking. The sample plots also provided information on the presence (or lack
of) of wildlife, specifically feeding excavations made by woodpeckers in burned
stems. The results of this study concluded that salvaged wood from forest fires
in the Boreal have properties which are advantageous in their use as biomass,
however more information is needed on utilizing this resource without causing
negative effects to wildlife habitat. | en_US |
