Page 692 - Geosystems An Introduction to Physical Geography 4th Canadian Edition

656 part IV Soils, Ecosystems, and Biomes
▶Figure 20.12 Canadian Model Forest Network. The Canadian Forestry Service and the govern- ment of Canada cooper- ated to develop a program to manage the forests of Canada. Model Forests
are a multi-stakeholder approach to addressing challenges within the for- est and providing support for those who are reliant and dependent on the resource. By creating a neu- tral place of engagement for a wide range of forest- based interest groups, social, economic, and environmental approaches to activities are the focus of the Model Forest. [Adapted with permission from Canadian Model Forest Network.]
Resource North Association
Clayoquot Forest Communities
0 250
Weberville Community Model Forest
Prince Albert Model Forest
Manitoba Model Forest
Northeast Superior Forest Community
Hudson Bay
Lake Abitibi Model Forest
Model Forest of Newfoundland and Labrador
60°
60°
45°
Economically, these forests are important for lumber in the southern margins of the biome and for pulpwood throughout the middle and northern portions. Present logging practices and the sustainability of these yields are issues of increasing controversy.
Boreal forest is Canada’s largest biome and, to bal- ance the demands placed on this forest, the Canadian Forest Service created the Model Forest Network (www .modelforest.net) in 1992. Of the 14 model forests, 8 are boreal, 1 is subalpine/montane/boreal, and 1 is a transi- tion between the boreal and prairie ecozones. Figure 20.12 portrays the locations of the Canadian Model Forests.
In the montane forests of California’s Sierra Nevada, giant sequoia (Sequoia gigantean) naturally occur in 70 isolated groves. The small seeds of these trees eventu- ally become Earth’s largest living organisms (in terms of biomass), some exceeding 8 m in diameter and 83 m in height (Figure 20.13). The largest of these is the General Sherman tree in Sequoia National Park, estimated to be
(a) A sequoia seed. About 300 seeds are in (b) Seedling at approximately 50 years each sequoia cone. of age.
(c) The General Sherman tree, probably wider than a standard classroom. The first branch is 45 m off the ground and 2 m in diameter.
500 KILOMETRES
Projet
Le Bourdon Eastern Ontario
Model Forest
Nova Forest Alliance
ATLANTIC OCEAN
▲Figure 20.13 Sequoia life stages, in Sequoia National Park, California. [robert Christopherson.]
Cree Research and Development
Institute
Forêt modèle du Lac-Saint-Jean Fundy
Model Forest