Bonanza Creek LTER
Bonanza Creek LTER
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Site Description - UP1A
Alias: 111Midslope White Spruce (MW)Rosie Creek Fire studies: Gregory stand #806Zasada stand: Bonanza Creek #2 (white spruce seed study)Reserve West (Juday)FSL-LD-UP1A_ws
Site status: Active
Latitude: 64.73473541
Longitude: -148.2976791
Size:
   
Site Information - UP1A
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General Information

Site synonyms 111, Midslope White Spruce (MW), Rosie Creek Fire studies: Gregory stand #806, Zasada stand: Bonanza Creek #2 (white spruce seed study), Reserve West (Juday), FSL-LD-UP1A_ws,
General Description UP1A was established to follow the development of vegetation following the burning of a well developed 200 year old white spruce stand on a south facing slope. The vegetation has progressed from an herbaceous community following the fire to an open hardwood stand.
Vegetation Description The 1983 Rosie Creek fire occurred in late May and early June. By September of that year, herbaceous cover was 31% and dominated by Geranium bicknellii and Epilobium angustifolium. Shrub sprouts covered an additional 2.5%. The following year the herbaceous cover totaled 80% and was dominated by Equisetum arvense, Geranium bicknellii, Epilobium angustifloium, Dracocephalum parviflorum, and Corydalis sempivirens. Shrub cover was 2% and tree cover less than 1%. In 1988, 5 years after the fire the herbaceous cover had reached 94% and was dominated by Equisetum arvense, Epilobium angustifolium, and Calamagrostis canadensis. Shrub cover, primarily Rubus idaeus, Rosa acicularis and Viburnum edule, was 12%. A few scattered individuals of Betula papyrifera, and Populus tremuloides had a total cover in the stand of only 1%. By 1995, 12 years after the fire, total herb cover had been reduced to 50% and was still dominated by Equisetum arvense, Epilobium angustifoium and Calamagrostis canadensis but Pyrola secunda had developed 4% cover. Some of the herbaceous cover was replaced by mosses, primarily Polytrichum juniperinum. Low shrubs, primarily Linnaea borealis, had 20% cover and the same species of tall shrubs, had only 8% cover. Tree cover had increased to 12%. Picea glauca seedlings in 1995 had reached heights of 60 cm and had a density of 1000/ha. Total tree numbers of Betula papyrifera, Populus tremuloides and P. balsamifera were only 300/ha but a large number of saplings (nearly 10,000/ha) of the deciduous species will reach tree size (2.5 cm DBH) in the next few years. The original stand had 450 white spruce trees/ha with a basal area of 35m2/ha. These trees were all killed by the fire but most remained standing. By 1997 the standing dead trees had been reduced to 67/ha with a basal area of 3.4 m2/ha.
History This stand originated as a 200 year old upland white spruce stand that was moderately to severely burned in the Rosie Creek fire in late May of 1983. Prior to the fire the stand and been the subject of considerable research on white spruce regeneration. At the time of the 1983 fire there were permanent vegetation plots that had last been measured in 1975. These 20 plots were relocated and used for the revegetation studies.
Directions This site is located on the old "Sawmill Road" about 1/2 way between the main BCEF road and the Argyle Highway.It can be reached, on foot or by snow machine or 4-wheeler from either the main BCEF road or the Argyle Highway.
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The Bonanza Creek LTER, including this website, is supported by the National Science Foundation through awards DEB-0620579, DEB-0423442, DEB-0080609, DEB-9810217, DEB-9211769, DEB-8702629 and by the USDA Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station through agreement number RJVA-PNW-01-JV-11261952-231. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the supporting agencies or the program as a whole.

© Bonanza Creek LTER, 2009.
Last modified 22-Nov-09
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