Comparative analysis of soil properties influenced by wildfire and sustainable forest licence harvesting practices

Abstract

This thesis outlines the main differences and similarities between current forest harvesting practices and wildfire disturbances in the boreal forest. Boreal harvesting is carried out in a way that looks very similar to wildfire disturbances. But the chemical and physical changes that occur after each disturbance do not show to be identical. Where harvesting displays more physical change on the forest, wildfires tend to have stark chemical changes to the stand that succeeds the old one. This will outline the main differences in both of these disturbances and potentially suggest ways of more closely replicating a wildfire disturbance.