Petawawa Research Forest - Transition

Treatment: actively facilitate change to encourage adaptive responses

Management Goals

Sparsely forested area.
The transition treatment at the PRF will use the clearcut with seed tree system to establish a
mixture of climate adapted oaks with local and novel pine species. Photo Credit: Mike Hoepting,
Natural Resources Canada.
  • Provide quality wood products
  • Promote a diverse species mix that is adapted to drought, wildfire, wind, ice storms, insects, and diseases, and adapted to future climate conditions
  • Maintain wildlife habitat through structural retention and an increase in mast species

Strategies & approaches

  • Clearcut with seed trees; retain 16-35 stems/ha of dispersed large white and/or red pine to retain structure and provide a limited seed source for natural regeneration
  • Mechanical site preparation (MSIP) following harvest for slash management and seedbed creation
  • Chemical site preparation (CHSIP) 1 year after MSIP for understory vegetation management
  • In autumn following CHSIP, plant 1760 seedlings/ha (710 seedlings/acre)
      • 165 local red pine
      • 165 red pine optimized for 2041-2070 climate
      • 600 pitch pine optimized for 2011-2040 climate
      • 500 red oak optimized for 2041-2070 climate
      • 330 white oak optimized for 2011-2040 climate
  • Tending as needed to ensure survival and growth of desired species
  • Species mix will be conducive to commercial thinning and irregular shelterwood management after 60-80 years
On the right side three people pose with equipment and on the left there is a shovel next to a seedling being planted.

ASCC Team planting the measurement plots. Left: Tim Barsanti, Jeff Fera and Nelson Thiffault with the first seedling planted (a pitch pine) at PRF ASCC, August 24, 2023. Right: The last seedling planted (white pine for 2011-40) at PRF ASCC, September 13, 2023. Photo credits: Mike Hoepting, Natural Resources Canada

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Resistance

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Resilience

Site Leads & Partners

The Petawawa Research Forest ASCC study is led by Natural Resources Canada: Dr. Trevor Jones (Research Scientist), Dr. Nelson Thiffault (Research Scientist), Jeff Fera (Forest Research Officer), Michael Hoepting (Silviculture Research Forester), and Tim Barsanti (Forest Technologist) . Additional collaborators include Dr. Lisa Venier (Natural Resources Canada) and Dr. Junior Tremblay (Environment and Climate Change Canada), who are conducting songbird and wildlife usage monitoring with autonomous recording units (ARUs) and camera traps. A three-day workshop to initiate planning of the PRF ASCC site was hosted by The Canadian Institute of Forestry, FPInnovations, and Friends of the Petawawa Research Forest, July 16-18, 2019 in Pembroke, ON.  Staff from these organizations as well as researchers and practitioners from the following organizations were part of the team that developed the trial treatments at the workshop and may have long-term involvement in the trial.

Government and Academia:

  • Natural Resources Canada, Canadian Forest Service
  • Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources
  • University of Toronto 

Forest Industry:

  • Algonquin Forestry Authority
  • Ottawa Valley Forest Inc.
  • Westwind Forest Stewardship Inc.

Dr. Trevor Jones
Site Lead

Research Scientist
Natural Resources Canada,
Canadian Wood Fibre Centre
1219 Queen Street East Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, P6A 2E5
Phone: 705-541-5610
trevor.jones3@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca

Dr. Nelson Thiffault
Petawawa Research Forest ASCC Site Research Scientist

Research Scientist
Natural Resources Canada,
Canadian Wood Fibre Centre
1055 du P.E.P.S., Sainte-Foy, Québec, QC, G1V 4C7
Phone: 418-454-1976 nelson.thiffault@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca

Jeff Fera
Petawawa Research Forest ASCC Site Forestry Research Officer

Forest Research Officer
Natural Resources Canada,
Canadian Wood Fibre Centre
1219 Queen Street East Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, P6A 2E5
Phone: 705-541-5616
jeff.fera@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca

Michael Hoepting
Petawawa Research Forest ASCC Site Silviculture Research Forester

Silviculture Research Forester
Natural Resources Canada,
Canadian Wood Fibre Centre
1219 Queen Street East Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, P6A 2E5
Phone: 705-541-5687 michael.hoepting@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca

Tim barsanti
Petawawa Research Forest ASCC Site Forest Technologist

Forest Research Technologist
Natural Resources Canada,
Canadian Wood Fibre Centre
1219 Queen Street East Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, P6A 2E5
Phone: 705-541-5687
tim.barsanti@nrcan-rncan.gc.ca