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Amalesh Dhar
Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, 751 General Services Building, Edmonton, AB T6G 2H1, Canada

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Journal article
Published: 15 August 2021 in Land
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Naturalization is a new and promising ecological approach to green space development for urban environments, although knowledge is sparse on techniques to implement it. We evaluated naturalization of eight native trees and shrubs, with site preparation (tillage, herbicide) and soil amendment (compost rates) treatment combinations at six sites in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Soil texture improved with all compost rates, and acidity, electrical conductivity and total carbon increased, especially with 100% compost. Soil nutrients generally increased with compost then declined within a year. Plant species with highest potential for use in urban green spaces were Picea glauca, Symphoricarpos albus and Rosa acicularis. Herbicide was the most influential site preparation treatment, positively increasing survival and growth of planted woody species, while negatively lowering non-native species cover and increasing noxious weed cover. Soil amendment with compost influenced cover not species richness, with high compost amendment reducing vegetation cover across sites, and increasing individual plant size. This study suggests amendment of soil with compost and appropriate site preparation can positively influence naturalization of these woody species for urban green spaces.

ACS Style

Jaime Aguilar Rojas; Amalesh Dhar; M. Anne Naeth. Urban Naturalization for Green Spaces Using Soil Tillage, Herbicide Application, Compost Amendment and Native Vegetation. Land 2021, 10, 854 .

AMA Style

Jaime Aguilar Rojas, Amalesh Dhar, M. Anne Naeth. Urban Naturalization for Green Spaces Using Soil Tillage, Herbicide Application, Compost Amendment and Native Vegetation. Land. 2021; 10 (8):854.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Jaime Aguilar Rojas; Amalesh Dhar; M. Anne Naeth. 2021. "Urban Naturalization for Green Spaces Using Soil Tillage, Herbicide Application, Compost Amendment and Native Vegetation." Land 10, no. 8: 854.

Research article
Published: 27 May 2021 in Restoration Ecology
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Woody debris is a critical component of natural forests, with an important function in land reclamation to control erosion and enhance diversity and function of newly developing ecosystems. Combined with cover soils, woody debris can play a significant role in plant community development, as cover soil is a source of inexpensive and ecologically adapted propagules. As we develop woody debris application as a land reclamation tool, its impacts on cover soils over time need to be documented. This study assessed how woody debris volume, types (Picea mariana, Populus tremuloides), and size influenced soil properties, and vegetation structure and composition in forest floor-mineral-mix(FFM) and peat-mineral-mix (PMM) cover soils types four-five years after oil sands reclamation. Soil chemical and physical properties were significantly affected by cover soil types, whereas no woody debris effects were evident. FFM cover soil was associated with greater vegetation cover, plant species richness, composition, and woody plant density than PMM. Nonmetric multi-dimensional scaling and multi-response permutation procedures revealed plant community compositional differences only for cover soil types. Presence of early to late and mid to late seral species four-five years after reclamation in FFM and PMM indicated community development trajectories were following typical early successional processes of boreal forests of the region. Woody debris type, size, and volume application had small or no impact on vegetation development. Although FFM cover soil was more effective than PMM, further long-term research to evaluate impacts of woody debris on vegetation development would be important to affirm its use for reclamation.

ACS Style

Katryna B. C. Forsch; Amalesh Dhar; M. Anne Naeth. Effects of woody debris and cover soil types on soil properties and vegetation 4–5 years after oil sands reclamation. Restoration Ecology 2021, e13420 .

AMA Style

Katryna B. C. Forsch, Amalesh Dhar, M. Anne Naeth. Effects of woody debris and cover soil types on soil properties and vegetation 4–5 years after oil sands reclamation. Restoration Ecology. 2021; ():e13420.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Katryna B. C. Forsch; Amalesh Dhar; M. Anne Naeth. 2021. "Effects of woody debris and cover soil types on soil properties and vegetation 4–5 years after oil sands reclamation." Restoration Ecology , no. : e13420.

Technical report
Published: 01 February 2021 in Journal of Environmental Quality
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Surface mining around the world has produced large quantities of waste materials with ecological impacts. Oil sands mining in Canada generates large volumes of petroleum coke and tailings every year, which are stockpiled in the mining areas, and must be reclaimed through capping, or used in reclamation substrates. A greenhouse study was conducted to determine whether substrates of various mixes of dry tailings (DT), tailings sand (TS), and peat mineral mix (PMM) with coke amendment would support emergence and growth of three grass species commonly used in land reclamation. After 16 weeks in the greenhouse, plant performance varied with substrate and amendment. Treatment with DT:TS:PMM (50:25:25) with 40% coke had greatest cover, biomass and density, and best health. Plant growth was inhibited in treatments with DT (100%) and coke (100%) due to high concentrations of hydrocarbons, undesirable exchangeable ions, and salinity that restricted soil water retention (gravimetric water content, hydraulic conductivity) relative to treatments with PMM. Agrostis scabra and Festuca saximontana showed poor growth or did not survive on DT and DT:TS with coke. Elymus trachycaulus performed better in all DT mixes and the best in DT:TS:PMM with 40% coke. Results from this study indicate that mixing with PMM could improve the reclamation potential of DT and coke. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

ACS Style

Gabriela L. Luna Wolter; Amalesh Dhar; M. Anne Naeth. Response of three native grass species on dry tailings reclamation substrate amended with petroleum coke. Journal of Environmental Quality 2021, 50, 384 -395.

AMA Style

Gabriela L. Luna Wolter, Amalesh Dhar, M. Anne Naeth. Response of three native grass species on dry tailings reclamation substrate amended with petroleum coke. Journal of Environmental Quality. 2021; 50 (2):384-395.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Gabriela L. Luna Wolter; Amalesh Dhar; M. Anne Naeth. 2021. "Response of three native grass species on dry tailings reclamation substrate amended with petroleum coke." Journal of Environmental Quality 50, no. 2: 384-395.

Journal article
Published: 24 August 2020 in Ecological Engineering
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The understory is an important reservoir of plant biodiversity and a driver of ecological processes in Canada's boreal forest, making its re-establishment following reclamation of oil sands mines crucial. This study examined understory plant community development with time using two cover soil types (forest floor mineral mix (FMM) and peat mineral mix (PMM)) in Alberta oil sands reclamation sites. Cover soil type played a significant role in plant community development with FMM soil having greater species richness, diversity and total vegetation cover than PMM four years after reclamation. Nonmetric multi dimensional scaling and multi response permutation procedure revealed no compositional differences between the cover soil types. Indicator species analysis showed FMM cover soil was dominated by perennial species while PMM was dominated by annual forb species. This implies that FMM cover soil leads to faster vegetation recovery (from ruderal and annual communities to perennial communities) than PMM cover soil. Non-native species declined with time in FMM (7.5–4%) and increased in PMM (8.9–12.5%). We therefore recommend utilizing FMM as cover soil to promote productive and diverse understory plant communities on the reclaimed landscape.

ACS Style

Amalesh Dhar; Philip G. Comeau; M. Anne Naeth; Robert Vassov. Early boreal forest understory plant community development in reclaimed oil sands. Ecological Engineering 2020, 158, 106014 .

AMA Style

Amalesh Dhar, Philip G. Comeau, M. Anne Naeth, Robert Vassov. Early boreal forest understory plant community development in reclaimed oil sands. Ecological Engineering. 2020; 158 ():106014.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amalesh Dhar; Philip G. Comeau; M. Anne Naeth; Robert Vassov. 2020. "Early boreal forest understory plant community development in reclaimed oil sands." Ecological Engineering 158, no. : 106014.

Review article
Published: 20 November 2019 in Science of The Total Environment
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Global energy demands and environmental concerns are a driving force for use of alternative, sustainable and clean energy sources. Solar and wind are among the most promising sources and have been developing steadily in recent years. However, these energy developments are not free of adverse environmental consequences, which require appropriate reclamation procedures. The environmental issues caused by solar and wind plants were reviewed in this paper by summarizing existing studies and synthesizing the principles that could underlie development of reclamation practices. The major environmental drawback of solar and wind energy plants are bird mortality, biodiversity, and habitat loss; noise; visual impact; and hazardous chemicals used in solar panels. Available mitigation measures to minimize these adverse environmental impacts, and appropriate reclamation protocol for the disturbed ecosystems, including key research needs are discussed. We include socio-economic perspectives of solar and wind energy, such as policy related to re-powering initiatives, decommissioning, and reclamation liability. The intent of this paper is to provide current perspectives on environmental issues associated with solar and wind energy development, strategies to mitigate environmental impacts, and potential reclamation practices to solar and wind energy planners and developers.

ACS Style

Amalesh Dhar; M. Anne Naeth; P. Dev Jennings; Mohamed Gamal El-Din. Perspectives on environmental impacts and a land reclamation strategy for solar and wind energy systems. Science of The Total Environment 2019, 718, 134602 .

AMA Style

Amalesh Dhar, M. Anne Naeth, P. Dev Jennings, Mohamed Gamal El-Din. Perspectives on environmental impacts and a land reclamation strategy for solar and wind energy systems. Science of The Total Environment. 2019; 718 ():134602.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amalesh Dhar; M. Anne Naeth; P. Dev Jennings; Mohamed Gamal El-Din. 2019. "Perspectives on environmental impacts and a land reclamation strategy for solar and wind energy systems." Science of The Total Environment 718, no. : 134602.

Research article
Published: 15 September 2019 in Restoration Ecology
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Understanding the effects of reclamation treatments on plant community development is an important step in setting realistic indicators and targets for reclamation of upland oil sands sites to forest ecosystems. We examine trends in cover, richness, evenness and community composition for four cover soil types (clay over overburden, clay over tailings sand, peat‐mineral mix over overburden, and peat‐mineral mix over tailings sand) and natural boreal forests over a 20 year period in the mineable oil sands region of northern Alberta, Canada. Tree, shrub and non‐vascular plant species cover showed similar increases over time for all reclamation treatments, with corresponding declines in forb and graminoid cover with time. These trends resemble those in the natural boreal forests of the region and the trajectory of community development for the reclamation treatments appears to follow typical early successional trends for boreal forests. Species richness and diversity of natural forest differed significantly from reclamation treatments. Nonmetric multidimensional scaling ordination and multi‐response permutation procedure revealed that species composition was not affected by reclamation treatment but clearly differed from natural forest. Analysis of species co‐occurrence indicated random plant community assembly following reclamation, in contrast to a higher proportion of non‐random plant community assembly in natural forests. Thus, reclaimed plant communities appear to be unstructured through year 20 and assembly is still in progress on these reclaimed sites. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

ACS Style

Amalesh Dhar; Philip G. Comeau; M. Anne Naeth; Bradley D. Pinno; Robert Vassov. Plant community development following reclamation of oil sands mines using four cover soil types in northern Alberta. Restoration Ecology 2019, 28, 82 -92.

AMA Style

Amalesh Dhar, Philip G. Comeau, M. Anne Naeth, Bradley D. Pinno, Robert Vassov. Plant community development following reclamation of oil sands mines using four cover soil types in northern Alberta. Restoration Ecology. 2019; 28 (1):82-92.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amalesh Dhar; Philip G. Comeau; M. Anne Naeth; Bradley D. Pinno; Robert Vassov. 2019. "Plant community development following reclamation of oil sands mines using four cover soil types in northern Alberta." Restoration Ecology 28, no. 1: 82-92.

Review
Published: 01 September 2018 in Environmental Reviews
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Understanding how reclamation practices influence plant community assembly and succession is an important step in developing realistic indicators and targets for reclamation of oil sands mine sites to upland forest ecosystems. We currently have a poor understanding of factors affecting plant community assembly and succession in reclaimed oil sands sites. Through synthesis of research completed over the last 24 years, we identify four key findings: (i) use of surface soil and forest floor material salvaged from mined areas increases plant species cover, richness, and diversity relative to the use of various other cover soil materials (such as clay subsoil); (ii) stockpiling of salvaged surface soils decreases the abundance of native plant propagules and delays early vegetation community development; (iii) differences in plant community composition between reclaimed and adjacent mature forests remain two decades after placing cover soils; however, differences are smaller with use of forest floor–mineral mix than peat–mineral mix; and (iv) plant community assembly is in progress but communities remain different to those found in natural undisturbed conditions. Our review identified critical knowledge gaps for further research to improve understanding of: (i) long-term (60 to 100 years) plant community composition in reclaimed oil sands sites; (ii) how residual forest patches near disturbed oil sands sites act as seed and propagule sources in newly reclaimed sites; (iii) plant community assembly processes in reclamation sites; (iv) the effect of micro-topographic heterogeneity on plant community development; and (v) how soil nutrient availability in different substrates influences plant community development over the long term. Ongoing support for selected existing studies and establishment of new studies focusing on plant community development through long-term monitoring are highly recommended.

ACS Style

Amalesh Dhar; Philip G. Comeau; Justine Karst; Brad Pinno; Scott X. Chang; M Anne Naeth; Robert Vassov; Caroline Bampfylde. Plant community development following reclamation of oil sands mine sites in the boreal forest: a review. Environmental Reviews 2018, 26, 286 -298.

AMA Style

Amalesh Dhar, Philip G. Comeau, Justine Karst, Brad Pinno, Scott X. Chang, M Anne Naeth, Robert Vassov, Caroline Bampfylde. Plant community development following reclamation of oil sands mine sites in the boreal forest: a review. Environmental Reviews. 2018; 26 (3):286-298.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amalesh Dhar; Philip G. Comeau; Justine Karst; Brad Pinno; Scott X. Chang; M Anne Naeth; Robert Vassov; Caroline Bampfylde. 2018. "Plant community development following reclamation of oil sands mine sites in the boreal forest: a review." Environmental Reviews 26, no. 3: 286-298.

Journal article
Published: 01 August 2018 in Forest Ecology and Management
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ACS Style

Erica Lilles; Amalesh Dhar; K. David Coates; Sybille Haeussler. Retention level affects dynamics of understory plant community recovery in northern temperate hemlock-cedar forests. Forest Ecology and Management 2018, 421, 3 -15.

AMA Style

Erica Lilles, Amalesh Dhar, K. David Coates, Sybille Haeussler. Retention level affects dynamics of understory plant community recovery in northern temperate hemlock-cedar forests. Forest Ecology and Management. 2018; 421 ():3-15.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Erica Lilles; Amalesh Dhar; K. David Coates; Sybille Haeussler. 2018. "Retention level affects dynamics of understory plant community recovery in northern temperate hemlock-cedar forests." Forest Ecology and Management 421, no. : 3-15.

Research article
Published: 10 July 2018 in Restoration Ecology
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Stockpiling of cover soil can influence vegetation development following reclamation. Cover soil, comprising the upper 15 to 30 cm of the surface material on sites scheduled for mining, is commonly salvaged prior to mining and used directly or stockpiled for various lengths of time until it is needed. Salvaging and stockpiling causes physical, chemical, and biological changes in cover soils. In particular, stockpiling reduces the availability and vigour of vegetative propagules and seed, and can lead to increases in the abundance of some weedy species. This study uses data from monitoring plots to assess how stockpiling of cover soil impacts plant community development on reclaimed oil sands mine sites in northern Alberta. Development of plant communities differed distinctly between directly placed and stockpiled cover soil treatments even 18 years after reclamation. Direct placement of cover soil resulted in higher percent cover, species richness and diversity. NMDS (non‐metric multidimensional scaling) and MRPP (multi‐response permutation procedure) revealed compositional differentiation between the treatments. Indicator species analysis showed that direct placement treatment was dominated by perennial species while grasses and annual forb species dominated sites where stockpiled soil was used. Results indicate that stockpiling leads to slower vegetation recovery while direct placement of cover soil supports more rapid succession (from ruderal and annual communities to perennial communities). In addition, direct placement may be less costly than stockpiling. However, scheduling of salvage and placement remains a challenge. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

ACS Style

Amalesh Dhar; Philip G. Comeau; Robert Vassov. Effects of cover soil stockpiling on plant community development following reclamation of oil sands sites in Alberta. Restoration Ecology 2018, 27, 352 -360.

AMA Style

Amalesh Dhar, Philip G. Comeau, Robert Vassov. Effects of cover soil stockpiling on plant community development following reclamation of oil sands sites in Alberta. Restoration Ecology. 2018; 27 (2):352-360.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amalesh Dhar; Philip G. Comeau; Robert Vassov. 2018. "Effects of cover soil stockpiling on plant community development following reclamation of oil sands sites in Alberta." Restoration Ecology 27, no. 2: 352-360.

Articles
Published: 09 July 2018 in Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research
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Insect outbreaks are natural phenomena that play a critical role in the development, senescence, and rebirth of forests. However, the damage caused by large-scale epidemics can have landscape scale consequences that are often poorly understood. The recent mountain pine beetle (MPB) outbreak in Canada has impacted a record >18.5 million hectares of pine forests, placing forest values at risk and significantly impacting forest-dependent communities within the region. To assess this impact, an ecosystem service-based approach was applied. Based on land cover information and monitoring data, four ecosystem services were assessed and mapped: merchantable timber, water provisioning, aboveground carbon storage, and vegetation diversity (supporting habitat). Timber is the most impacted provisioning ecosystem service followed by water provisioning, with peak stream flow in affected watersheds being positively related to mortality percent. Effects on carbon storage are substantial, with 20% of total timber aboveground carbon in dead pine trees. These effects may be mitigated, however, by the growth response of residual live trees and forest regeneration. The potential vegetation diversity showed a positive response to MPB-caused tree mortality. The results of our study may help with setting management priorities in response to large-scale biotic damage in forests in British Columbia and elsewhere.

ACS Style

Amalesh Dhar; Lael Parrott; Scott Heckbert. Large scale biotic damage impacts on forest ecosystem services. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 2018, 33, 741 -755.

AMA Style

Amalesh Dhar, Lael Parrott, Scott Heckbert. Large scale biotic damage impacts on forest ecosystem services. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research. 2018; 33 (8):741-755.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amalesh Dhar; Lael Parrott; Scott Heckbert. 2018. "Large scale biotic damage impacts on forest ecosystem services." Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 33, no. 8: 741-755.

Journal article
Published: 18 November 2016 in Plant Biosystems - An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant Biology
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Many studies have examined short-term changes in understory vegetation following prescribed burning. However, knowledge concerning longer term effects on both forest understory and overstory vegetation is lacking. This investigation was initiated to examine changes in understory (herbaceous and shrub) and overstory species composition almost four decades after logging and prescribed burning at the Pike Bay Experimental Forest in Minnesota. The experiment was established in 1964 with a randomized block design with four treatments: control (c); burned in spring 1967 (S0); burned in spring 1967 + repeat burn spring 1969 (S2); and burned in spring 1967 + repeat burn fall 1970 (F4). Overstory and understory species diversity indices and richness varied within and among treatments but were not strongly or consistently affected by the treatments. Multivariate analyses (multi-response block permutation procedures and non-metric multidimensional scaling) reveal some lingering effects of burning intensity and seasonal variation as well as some compositional differentiation among treatments, but only in the herb layer. In this environment, the effects of two repeated burnings (fire) have essentially disappeared for overstory and understory species diversity and community composition and have failed to convert an aspen-dominated stand to a coniferous stand (an original goal of the study).

ACS Style

A. Dhar; C. D. Baker; H. B. Massicotte; Brian Palik; C. D. B. Hawkins. Response of overstory and understory vegetation 37 years after prescribed burning in an aspen-dominated forest in northern Minnesota, USA – A case study. Plant Biosystems - An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant Biology 2016, 152, 70 -79.

AMA Style

A. Dhar, C. D. Baker, H. B. Massicotte, Brian Palik, C. D. B. Hawkins. Response of overstory and understory vegetation 37 years after prescribed burning in an aspen-dominated forest in northern Minnesota, USA – A case study. Plant Biosystems - An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant Biology. 2016; 152 (1):70-79.

Chicago/Turabian Style

A. Dhar; C. D. Baker; H. B. Massicotte; Brian Palik; C. D. B. Hawkins. 2016. "Response of overstory and understory vegetation 37 years after prescribed burning in an aspen-dominated forest in northern Minnesota, USA – A case study." Plant Biosystems - An International Journal Dealing with all Aspects of Plant Biology 152, no. 1: 70-79.

Review
Published: 05 August 2016 in Forests
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The mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) (MPB) has infested and killed millions of hectares of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm) forests in British Columbia, Canada, over the past decade. It is now spreading out of its native range into the Canadian boreal forest, with unknown social, economic and ecological consequences. This review explores the ramifications of the MPB epidemic with respect to mid-term timber supply, forest growth, structure and composition, vegetation diversity, forest fire, climate change, and ecosystem resilience. Research confirms that, in British Columbia, all of these variables are more significantly impacted when salvage logging is used as management response to the outbreak. We conclude that appropriate management in response to MPB is essential to ensuring ecologically resilient future forests and reliable mid-term timber supplies for affected human communities. We highlight knowledge gaps and avenues for research to advance our understanding in support of sustainable post-disturbance forest management policies in British Columbia and elsewhere.

ACS Style

Amalesh Dhar; Lael Parrott; Christopher D.B. Hawkins. Aftermath of Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak in British Columbia: Stand Dynamics, Management Response and Ecosystem Resilience. Forests 2016, 7, 171 .

AMA Style

Amalesh Dhar, Lael Parrott, Christopher D.B. Hawkins. Aftermath of Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak in British Columbia: Stand Dynamics, Management Response and Ecosystem Resilience. Forests. 2016; 7 (12):171.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amalesh Dhar; Lael Parrott; Christopher D.B. Hawkins. 2016. "Aftermath of Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak in British Columbia: Stand Dynamics, Management Response and Ecosystem Resilience." Forests 7, no. 12: 171.

Journal article
Published: 01 August 2016 in Canadian Journal of Forest Research
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After affecting millions of hectares of pine forests in western Canada, the mountain pine beetle (MPB; Dendroctonous ponderosae Hopkins) is spreading out of its native range and into Canada’s boreal forest. Impacts of outbreaks can be environmental, economic, and social, and an ecosystem services (ES) viewpoint provides a useful perspective for an integrated approach to assessing these impacts and may help to identify how possible management strategies could minimize these impacts. In this regards, a comprehensive overview of the ecosystem functions and socioeconomic factors that have been impacted by the current outbreaks in western Canada was carried out to facilitate a more general ES assessment. In addition to timber production, current MPB outbreaks have negative effects on provisioning services (water supply and food production) and aesthetic cultural services, while effects on regulating services (carbon and forest fire) are still in debate. Among the supporting services, nutrient cycling and aquatic habitat showed short- and long-term negative effects, while terrestrial habitat showed a mostly positive response. The overall impact on ES may be more severe if salvage logging is practiced as a post-MPB forest management strategy. The outcomes of this study may help to identify areas of greatest socioecological vulnerability to MPB and identify knowledge gaps and avenues for research to advance the ES framework for MPB outbreak management.

ACS Style

Amalesh Dhar; Lael Parrott; Scott Heckbert. Consequences of mountain pine beetle outbreak on forest ecosystem services in western Canada. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 2016, 46, 987 -999.

AMA Style

Amalesh Dhar, Lael Parrott, Scott Heckbert. Consequences of mountain pine beetle outbreak on forest ecosystem services in western Canada. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 2016; 46 (8):987-999.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amalesh Dhar; Lael Parrott; Scott Heckbert. 2016. "Consequences of mountain pine beetle outbreak on forest ecosystem services in western Canada." Canadian Journal of Forest Research 46, no. 8: 987-999.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2015 in iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry
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IForest is an Open Access, peer-reviewed online journal published by the Italian Society of Silviculture and Forest Ecology (SISEF). The journal encompasses a broad range of research aspects concerning forest science: forest ecology, biodiversity/genetics and ecophysiology, silviculture, forest inventory and planning, forest protection and monitoring, forest harvesting, landscape ecology, forest history, wood technology. Of special interest are studies addressing the biological and ecological bases for the sustainable management of forest ecosystems.

ACS Style

Amalesh Dhar; N Balliet; Cd Hawkins; Carlson; Vg Berger; R Mahoney. Bud flush phenology and nursery carryover effect of paper birch provenances. iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry 2015, 8, 809 -817.

AMA Style

Amalesh Dhar, N Balliet, Cd Hawkins, Carlson, Vg Berger, R Mahoney. Bud flush phenology and nursery carryover effect of paper birch provenances. iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry. 2015; 8 (6):809-817.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amalesh Dhar; N Balliet; Cd Hawkins; Carlson; Vg Berger; R Mahoney. 2015. "Bud flush phenology and nursery carryover effect of paper birch provenances." iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry 8, no. 6: 809-817.

Journal article
Published: 30 September 2015 in Forests
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The current mountain pine beetle (MPB) (Dendroctonous ponderosae Hopkins) epidemic has severely affected pine forests of Western Canada and killed millions of hectares of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia Engelm.) forest. Generally, MPB attack larger and older (diameter > 20 cm or >60 years of age) trees, but the current epidemic extends this limit with attacks on even younger and smaller trees. The study’s aim was to investigate the extent of MPB attack in young pine stands and its possible impact on stand dynamics. Although MPB attacks were observed in trees as small as 7.5 cm diameter at breast height (DBH) and as young as 13 years old, the degree of MPB attack (percent stems ha−1) increased with increasing tree diameter and age class (13–20, 21–40, 41–60, and 61–80 years old) (6.4%, 49.4%, 62.6%, and 69.5% attack, respectively, by age class) which is greater than that reported from previous epidemics for stands of this age. The mean density of surviving residual structure varied widely among age classes and ecological subzones. Depending on age class, 65% to 77% of the attacked stands could contribute to mid-term timber supply. The surviving residual structure of young stands offers an opportunity to mitigate the effects of MPB-attack on future timber supply, increase age class diversity, and enhance ecological resilience in younger stands.

ACS Style

Amalesh Dhar; Nicole A. Balliet; Kyle D. Runzer; Christopher D. B. Hawkins. Impact of a Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak on Young Lodgepole Pine Stands in Central British Columbia. Forests 2015, 6, 3483 -3500.

AMA Style

Amalesh Dhar, Nicole A. Balliet, Kyle D. Runzer, Christopher D. B. Hawkins. Impact of a Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak on Young Lodgepole Pine Stands in Central British Columbia. Forests. 2015; 6 (12):3483-3500.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amalesh Dhar; Nicole A. Balliet; Kyle D. Runzer; Christopher D. B. Hawkins. 2015. "Impact of a Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak on Young Lodgepole Pine Stands in Central British Columbia." Forests 6, no. 12: 3483-3500.

Journal article
Published: 01 January 2015 in Open Journal of Forestry
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Strategies for managing mixed broadleaf-conifer stands in British Columbia (BC) have been under review in recent years as the benefits of mixedwood management have been recognized. More has been learned about the role of broadleaves in forest ecosystems however ecosystem-specific knowledge about the competitive interactions between mixed broadleaf-conifer stands is still scarce. Therefore a competitive interactions study was conducted to facilitate ecosystem-specific management for lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. Ex Loud. Var. latifolia Engelm.) and trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) in the sub-boreal spruce (SBS) zone of central BC. The experiment was a completely randomized block design with six different aspen densities replicated three times. Each replicate was sampled three times between ages 14 to 19 years. Pine diameter and height growth were influenced by aspen density. Our current quantitative findings suggest that lodgepole pine growth was not impacted when growing with aspen densities up to 2500 stems ha-1. Considering free growing (FTG) and not free growing (NFTG) pine at the time of trial establishment, an insignificant difference was found for DBH, height and crown volume responses. Leaf area index (LAI) and diffuse non-interceptance (DIFN) radiation were also not significantly different between FTG or NFTG trees suggesting our results exceed the current BC’s free growing standard. Further work is recommended to determine whether or not the current free growing standards are appropriate for producing the desired crop outcome.

ACS Style

Amalesh Dhar; Jian R. Wang; Christopher D. B. Hawkins. Interaction of Trembling Aspen and Lodgepole Pine in a Young Sub-Boreal Mixedwood Stand in Central British Columbia. Open Journal of Forestry 2015, 05, 129 -138.

AMA Style

Amalesh Dhar, Jian R. Wang, Christopher D. B. Hawkins. Interaction of Trembling Aspen and Lodgepole Pine in a Young Sub-Boreal Mixedwood Stand in Central British Columbia. Open Journal of Forestry. 2015; 05 (02):129-138.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amalesh Dhar; Jian R. Wang; Christopher D. B. Hawkins. 2015. "Interaction of Trembling Aspen and Lodgepole Pine in a Young Sub-Boreal Mixedwood Stand in Central British Columbia." Open Journal of Forestry 05, no. 02: 129-138.

Original articles
Published: 20 May 2014 in Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences
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Considerable uncertainties remain about magnitude and character, if not general direction of anthropogenic climate change. Global mean temperature could increase by 1.5–4.5°C or more over historic levels, and extreme weather events—drought, storms, and flooding—are likely to increase greatly in frequency. Although ecologists and foresters agree that the practice of forestry will be transformed under climate change, these uncertainties compound the challenge of achieving sustainable, adaptive forest management. In this aritcle, we (i) present a multidisciplinary synthesis of current knowledge of responses of temperate and boreal tree species and forest communities to climate change, and (ii) outline silvicultural strategies for adapting temperate and boreal forests to confront climate change. Our knowledge synthesis proceeds through critical appraisals of efforts to model future tree distributions and responses to climate change, and reviews physiological, phenological, acclimation, and epigenetic responses to climate. As is the case of climate change itself, there are numerous uncertainties about tree species and provenance responses to climate change. For example, acclimation of respiration and epigenetic conditioning of seed embryos has the potential to buffer species against limited warming. Provenances within species also display idiosyncratic responses to altered climates, implying that soemm varieties will be more resilient or resistant to climate change than others. Genetically determined limits to climatic tolerance, and the limits of tree community resistance and resilience (speed of recovery from disturbance) in the face of climate-related disturbances are largely unknown. These unknowns require managers to adopt a portfolio of silvicultural strategies, which may range from minor modifications of current practices to design of novel multi-species stands that may have no historical analogue. Forest managers must be prepared to respond nimbly as they develop, incorporate new insights about climate change and species responses to warming into their practices. Marshalling all strategies and sources of knowledge should enable forest managers to mount (at least) a partially successful response to the challenges of climate change.

ACS Style

Andrew Park; Klaus Puettmann; Edward Wilson; Christian Messier; Susanne Kames; Amalesh Dhar. Can Boreal and Temperate Forest Management be Adapted to the Uncertainties of 21st Century Climate Change? Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences 2014, 33, 251 -285.

AMA Style

Andrew Park, Klaus Puettmann, Edward Wilson, Christian Messier, Susanne Kames, Amalesh Dhar. Can Boreal and Temperate Forest Management be Adapted to the Uncertainties of 21st Century Climate Change? Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences. 2014; 33 (4):251-285.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Andrew Park; Klaus Puettmann; Edward Wilson; Christian Messier; Susanne Kames; Amalesh Dhar. 2014. "Can Boreal and Temperate Forest Management be Adapted to the Uncertainties of 21st Century Climate Change?" Critical Reviews in Plant Sciences 33, no. 4: 251-285.

Research article
Published: 18 December 2013 in Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research
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Eleven paper birch (Betula papyrifera Marsh.) provenances from a single geographic region in northern Idaho and four geographic regions in British Columbia (BC) were studied to determine whether morphometric variability was due to species' genetics, growing environment, or their interaction. Seedlings were grown at three nurseries in BC and Idaho and planted in a randomised single-tree interlocking block design at Skimikin (50°47′) and Red Rock (53°45′) common gardens in BC. Geographic variation in birch height growth was regulated by genetics and a complex interaction with environmental factors. Growth does not follow latitudinal, longitudinal or elevational clines although provenances at the southern garden showed better height growth compared to the northern garden. Greater percentages of seedling mortality were observed at the northern garden compared to provenances planted at the southern garden. Birch height growth was significantly influenced by nursery displacement effects up to four years after establishment. The safe range of southward seed-transfer distance may be as much as 5°, and beyond this limit a detrimental effect likely occurs. Collectively, these results suggest that a provenance best suited to one environment might not be the best for another environment. However, these findings will be useful in understanding the genecology of paper birch when establishing operational seed-transfer guidelines in BC.

ACS Style

Amalesh Dhar; Nicole Balliet; Christopher D.B. Hawkins. Variability in height growth, survival and nursery carryover effect ofBetula papyriferaprovenances. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 2013, 29, 132 -143.

AMA Style

Amalesh Dhar, Nicole Balliet, Christopher D.B. Hawkins. Variability in height growth, survival and nursery carryover effect ofBetula papyriferaprovenances. Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research. 2013; 29 (2):132-143.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Amalesh Dhar; Nicole Balliet; Christopher D.B. Hawkins. 2013. "Variability in height growth, survival and nursery carryover effect ofBetula papyriferaprovenances." Scandinavian Journal of Forest Research 29, no. 2: 132-143.

Journal article
Published: 01 December 2013 in Forest Ecology and Management
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ACS Style

Christopher D.B. Hawkins; Amalesh Dhar; Nicole A. Balliet. Radial growth of residual overstory trees and understory saplings after mountain pine beetle attack in central British Columbia. Forest Ecology and Management 2013, 310, 348 -356.

AMA Style

Christopher D.B. Hawkins, Amalesh Dhar, Nicole A. Balliet. Radial growth of residual overstory trees and understory saplings after mountain pine beetle attack in central British Columbia. Forest Ecology and Management. 2013; 310 ():348-356.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Christopher D.B. Hawkins; Amalesh Dhar; Nicole A. Balliet. 2013. "Radial growth of residual overstory trees and understory saplings after mountain pine beetle attack in central British Columbia." Forest Ecology and Management 310, no. : 348-356.

Journal article
Published: 30 April 2013 in Journal of Forest Science
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Current British Columbia forest regulations drive the regeneration management towards pure conifer stands rather than remaining in a mixed-species condition. This approach may result in unnecessary vegetation control. The main objective of this investigation was to study the impact of variable paper birch densities on white spruce growth in 15–20 years old stands for management implications. Regression analysis was used to examine the effect of birch density and two competition indices to predict spruce growth. A mixed model ANOVA showed that spruce mean annual DBH and basal area increment differed significantly among sites and density. From the regression analysis it appears that birch density up to 4,000 stems·ha–1 had no significant influence on spruce growth which is much higher than the current BC reforestation guideline (1,000 stems·ha–1 broadleaves). Similarly, birch relative density index (RDI) had to exceed 3 to affect spruce DBH growth significantly on all sites except one. On most sites, spruce had a larger DBH than birch. Our results also suggest that rather than following the current broadcast approach to vegetation management, a targeted approach could enhance forest productivity and stand diversity.  

ACS Style

Ch.D.B. Hawkins; Amalesh Dhar. Birch (Betula papyrifera) × white spruce (Picea glauca) interactions in mixedwood stands: implications for management. Journal of Forest Science 2013, 59, 137 -149.

AMA Style

Ch.D.B. Hawkins, Amalesh Dhar. Birch (Betula papyrifera) × white spruce (Picea glauca) interactions in mixedwood stands: implications for management. Journal of Forest Science. 2013; 59 (No. 4):137-149.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Ch.D.B. Hawkins; Amalesh Dhar. 2013. "Birch (Betula papyrifera) × white spruce (Picea glauca) interactions in mixedwood stands: implications for management." Journal of Forest Science 59, no. No. 4: 137-149.