Unpublished Reports and Theses

• Arnold, H. 1998. Corridors and connectivity on forest biodiversity planning. B.Sc.F Thesis, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick.

  The objective of this paper was to determine whether corridors are an appropriate conservation measure for New Brunswick. Empirical evidence indicates that species use corridors for movement and for habitat, and that corridors increase both migration and survival rates. Forestry practices in New Brunswick are fragmenting the interior, old and unique forest types. The species that are vulnerable are interior habitat specialists with low mobility (plants, amphibians and small mammals). Corridors are put forward as a means of conserving biodiversity in a multiple-use landscape by reconnecting the forest and preserving the flow of wildlife in a changing environment.

• Ballard, W.B., D.L. Sabine, G.J. Forbes. 1995. Assessment of White-Tailed Deer Winter Habitats in Relation to Forest Silvicultural Practices. 1994-95 Annual Progress Report for Fundy Model Forest.
  
  
• Blackler, R. 1999. Assessment of riparian buffer zones as adequate means of connecting protected forest areas. B.Sc.F Thesis, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick.
  
  
• Chiasson, A. Effect of Riparian Zone Management on Fish Community Structure. Progress Report to the Fundy Model Forest. February 1994. 7p.
  
  
• Connors, J. 1999. Trends in species abundance in Fundy National Park: Results of 20 years of winter track surveys. B.Sc.F Thesis, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick.
  
  
• Crammond, H. 1994. Microtopography gradient effects on taxonomic diversity of ground cover species in southeastern New Brunswick. B.Sc.F Thesis, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick.
  
  
• Curry, R.A., D. Courtemanche, and J. vandeSande. 1998. Brook Trout Migration in the Kennebecasis River. 1998 Summary Report for the New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund. New Brunswick Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Fisheries Report #98-4.
  
  
• Curry, R.A., D. Courtemanche, and. J. vandeSande. 1998. Brook Trout Migration in the Kennebecasis River. 1998 Summary Report for the New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund. New Brunswick Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Fisheries Report #98-4.
  
  
• Curry, R.A. and D. Sparks. 1997. The Kennebecasis River sea run brook trout study. Final Report and Integration into Phase II of the Fundy Model Forest. New Brunswick Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Fisheries Report #97-1.
  
  
• Dijkstra, M. 1995. Structural diversity of managed stands and stands of spruce-budworm origin across a Spatial and temporal gradient. M.Sc. Thesis, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick.

  Fifteen stands were located within 15 km of Fundy National Park (FNP). Three reference stands with a disturbance regime of spruce budworm were located in FNP. Managed forests were identifed on crown land. Structural variability among age classes within the same disturbance type and among similar-aged stands of different disturbance types were examined. The comparisons of density, dbh, height, basal areas, and crown lengths of both live and dead stems were designed to show the effects of time on structural variability. Results revealed that snag densities may be negatively correlated with diameter and height.

• Fleming, T. 1996. Conversion of mixed-species, natural forests to conifer plantations: Implications for carbon storage and diversity of woody plant species in the Greater Fundy Ecosystem, New Brunswick, Canada. M.Sc. thesis. Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S. 163 p.

  Surveys of woody vegetation, snags, and coarse woody debris (CWD) were conducted on 20 study sites located in and around FNP. Tree-sized snags were lacking in most of the plantations. Shrub-sized snags accounted for most of the total snag density on plantation sites. Reference (mature) stands had twice as many tree-sized snags as shrub-sized snags. The highest CWD density and biomass occurred in the youngest plantations. However, CWD of any size category was almost completely decomposed after about 13 years of plantation establishment. Total CWD carbon stored in reference stands was greater than in plantations older than 5 years.

• Flemming, S., H. Beach, J. Watts, S. Gerrow, M. Bourgeois. 1995. Assessing The Viability of the Older-Growth Forest Community in the FMF. Progress Report #2, 9 p.
  
  
• Freedman, B. 1991. Bibliography on Impacts of Forestry on Wildlife, with Special Reference to the Integrity of Ecological Reserves. Department of Biology and School for Resource andEnvironmental Studies, Dalhousie University Submitted to Environment Canada and ParksCanada, 103 p.
  
  
• Gerrow, J.S. 1996. Home range, habitat use, nesting ecology and diet of the Northern Flying Squirrel in southern New Brunswick. M.Sc. thesis. Department of Biology. Acadia University, Wolfville, N.S.

  The northern flying squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus (Shaw)) was studied in southern New Brunswick from May 1993 to November 1994. Home range, habitat use, and nesting ecology were examined using radio telemetry. Diet was determined through faecal analysis and observation. Median size of home ranges determined for eight female and seven male northern flying squirrels were 2.75 and 12.49 respectively. Within home ranges, high use sites had significantly larger trees, larger snags, lower density of trees, greater structural diversity, and a more decayed structural composition than low use sites. Four distinct nest types were identified: ground, outside, natural cavity, and woodpecker. Microscopic examination of 150 faecal samples revealed that 95% contained hypogeous fungal spores.

• Hovey, A.M. 1996. Structure of the herbaceous community in a mixed forest in the Hayward Brook Watershed, New Brunswick. B.Sc. Honours thesis, University of New Brunswick (Saint John).

  This study provides baseline data for a long-term study on the effects of forest management practices on diversity of the herbaceous community. Community structure of the herbaceous vegetation in the Hayward Brook Watershed was assessed using 169 5-m2 quadrats. One-hundred and six species were present. Species evenness was low, i.e. 80%of the species occurred in <20% of the quadrats.
  
  Canonical correspondence analysis showed that 24% of the species pattern captured by correspondence analysis was correlated with the environmental variables chosen in this study (canopy, topography and litter). Partial canonical correspondence analysis was employed to partition out the individual and combined effects of the environmental variables; litter chemistry (particularly pH, and Ca and Mg contents) was the most highly correlated with species pattern.
  
  Changes in community structure after catastrophic disturbance were predicted using both equilibrium and non-equilibrium models; these will be tested as the study continues, in order to better conserve biodiversity of the forest floor.

• Johnson, D. 1997. The effect of residual apple trees on black bear in Fundy National Park. B.Sc.F Thesis, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick.
  
  
• Johnson, G. 1997. The effects of forestry on breeding bird communities in the vicinity of Fundy National Park, New Brunswick. M.Sc. thesis. Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S. 136 p.

  Responses of forest bird communities to the conversion of mature, mixed-wood forest into even-aged conifer plantations were studied in the vicinity of Fundy National Park. Clearcutting of mixed-wood forests and establishment of young plantations created opportunities for some bird species of open-canopy habitats, while destroying habitat for birds of mature forest. It is anticipated that some bird species may not be accommodated in intensively managed working forest. At risk are species dependent on snags, coarse woody debris, or cavities as critical elements of habitat, forest-canopy species requiring a significant deciduous content, and species requiring large-dimension trees.

• Kilpatrick, D. and K. Runyon. 1994. Development of a Socio-Economic Data Base with Emphasis on Non-Timber Outputs: A Case Study For the Fundy Model Forest, Submitted to The Fundy Model Forest, 82 p.
  
  
• Lutz, S. 1997. Pre-European Settlement and Present Forest Composition in King’s County, New Brunswick, Canada. M.Sc.F thesis, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, N.B. 48 p.

  Species and location of 3880 witness trees were obtained from land survey records (1785-1820) and 957 Forest Development Survey Plots (1986 and 1993) were analyzed in Kings County, N.B.. The frequency distribution of species and genus levels for pre-settlement and present-day surveys were calculated and compared per ecosite for each genus that made up more than 5% of the total composition of the pre-settlement or present-day ecoregions of Kings County. Over the past two hundred years there has been a shift in species composition away from the late successional species. Human disturbances such as land clearing for agriculture, forestry, and budworm suppression are likely to be the primary factors in such changes.

• MacInnis, B., K.A. Frego, and R. J. Staniforth. Implications of fine scale variability for predicting sampling intensity in a mixed temperate forest seed bank. B.Sc. Honours thesis, UNBSJ.

  A variety of factors cause seeds to exhibit clustered distributions or low abundances in the soil. This has important implications for seed bank studies that require an accurate estimate of species richness and species abundance, especially in terms of sampling intensity. This study was undertaken to determine the fine-scale horizontal spatial distribution of seeds in a soil seed bank in a harvested temperate forest at Hayward Brook, New Brunswick, Canada and to determine the minimum sampling intensity required for an accurate representation of seed bank species composition. By completely sampling the topsoil of a 2.46m2 experimental plot in 384 units of 50.27 cm2 (volume 170.9 cm3), and using the emergence method, eight taxa were germinated from the samples. Red Maple (Acer rubrum) showed the higherdf samples, probably >100, representing at least one-fifth of the area, would be needed.

• MacLean, D.A., W. MacKinnon, K. Beaton, K. Porter, M. Budd, and N. D’Aoust. 1999. Spruce Budworm DSS Protection Planning System in New Brunswick: Fundy National Park. Canadian Forest Service, Fredericton, 19 p.

  The Spruce Budworm Decision Support System Protection Planning System (PROPS) was implemented on the Fundy National Park (FNP), a total landbase of 19,356 ha. The FNP landbase is composed of 18,387 ha of productive federal forest. PROPS predicts the budworm-caused volume losses, or alternatively the marginal timber supply benefits of protecting stands against spruce budworm defoliation in a given year. Because there was no quantifiable budworm defoliation on the FNP during the past 5 years and no predicted 1999 budworm populations from larval surveys, actual budworm losses in 1999 were 0 throughout the landbase. In other words, with no expected defoliation in 1999, there would be no mortality or growth reduction. The various tables and maps in this report allow the evaluation of potential volume losses that would be caused by a budworm outbreak on FNP. A “normal” severity budworm outbreak, similar to that experienced in New Brunswick in the past, was estimated to result in 252,000 m3 of mortality and growth reduction.

• MacLean, D.A., W.E. MacKinnon, K.P. Beaton, K.B. Porter, M.G. Budd, N.A. D’Aoust, and G.A. Cormier. 1999. Spruce Budworm DSS Protection Planning System in New Brunswick: Fundy Model Forest, Southern New Brunswick Forest Products Marketing Board, and Fundy National Park. Canadian Forest Service, Atlantic Forestry Centre, Fredericton, NB.
  
  
• Mercer, D. 1996. A comparison of coarse woody debris in three stand types at Fundy National Park. B.Sc.F Thesis, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick.
  
  
• Meredith, S. 1996. The effects of forest management on herbaceous plant diversity and species composition. B.Sc.F Thesis, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick.
  
  
• Methven, I., and G. Forbes. 1995. Ecological Integrity Guidelines for Protected Areas in New Brunswick: A Position Paper. Recreation and Environment Branch. New Brunswick Dept. Natural Resources and Energy, 85 p.
  
  
• Niziolomski, C. 1994. The differences in woody species diversity between human originated disturbances and naturally caused disturbances. B.Sc.F Thesis, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick.
  
  
• Peterson, Jennifer E. 1999. The effects of forest harvest on bryophyte recolonization in a mixed forest in New Brunswick. M.Sc. thesis University of New Brunswick, Saint John.

  This study examined disturbance characteristics resulting from forest harvest and associated changes in bryophyte species, the ability of two bryophyte species to tolerate the environmental conditions that result from forest harvest, and the species composition of the bryophyte diaspore bank in the Hayward Brook watershed.

• Different suites of disturbance characteristics were associated with specific forest practices, i.e. cutting and scarification. Whereas clearcutting removes tree canopy, thereby altering the microclimate, subsequent scarification redistributes slash and disturbs the litter and soil substrates, increasing the intensity of disturbance. At the quadrat scale, individual disturbance characteristics occur in all treatments (uncut, cut, and cut and scarified), however their occurrence increases in frequency with harvest intensity.

  Bryophyte community composition immediately after harvest is more strongly related to pre-harvest bryophyte composition than to disturbance variables, however loss of species from the community is more prevalent with the combination of cutting and scarification. Transplant experiments showed that both Dicranum polysetum and Pleurozium schreberi were able to tolerate the environmental conditions that commonly occur during and after forest harvest for at least two years. The amelioration of environmental extremes that is provided by light slash cover proved beneficial to Pleurozium but not Dicranum. Both species exhibited greater final weights on mineral substrate than on humus, which is at least partly due to increased inorganic uptake from mineral substrate.
  
  A diaspore bank of at least 25 bryophyte taxa exists in the soil of the Hayward Brook area, but its species composition is very different from that of the pre-harvest vegetation. There is no apparent relationship between stand treatments (uncut, cut, and cut and scarified) and the species composition of the diaspore bank. The diaspore bank is a potential source for recolonization after forest harvest, but it is unlikely to result in reassembly of the same pre-harvest bryophyte community.

• Ross, Amy. 1999. Forest floor bryophyte composition of spruce plantations in New Brunswick. B.Sc. Honours thesis, University of New Brunswick, Saint John.

  Modern forestry has been identified as a serious threat to many forest species, particularly invertebrates and cryptogams such as bryophytes. Fifteen stands (6 field-origin plantations, i.e. plantations established on land that had previously been used as an agricultural field, 7 forest-origin plantations, and 2 naturally regenerating forests) were sampled within the province of New Brunswick to determine the status of forest floor bryophyte diversity in spruce plantations relative to natural forests. Both (i) species composition and (ii) attributes of the structural environment were measured in each stand as percent cover in 40-50 1m2 quadrats set on parallel transects. Multivariate analyses showed that both (i) species composition and (ii) environmental characteristics differed significantly among three stand classes (i.e. field-origin plantations, forest-origin plantations, and natural forests). Species richness, evenness, andtenvironmental features were not strongly correlated with the variability in species data. This suggests that bryophyte diversity is not predicted by habitat features, indicating that forest management efforts which focus on habitat conservation (e.g. retention of hardwoods in otherwise coniferous monoculture and CWD in various decay stages) may not be as effective in maintaining bryophyte biodiversity in managed landscapes as previously thought.

• Sabine, D., W. Ballard, and G. Forbes. 1998. Assessment of White-tailed Deer habitats within the Fundy Model Forest in Relation to Winter Severity. NB Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, UNB, Fredericton, NB 115p., Appendices, 409p. Submitted to The Fundy Model Forest.
  
  
• Schmiedendorf, R. 1997. Disturbance resulting from two harvest methods in a New Brunswick forest. B.Sc.F Thesis, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick.
  
  
• Sims, M.R. 1996. Distribution of Forest Floor Bryophytes in a North Temperate Forest. B.Sc. Honours thesis, University of New Brunswick (Saint John).

  Bryophyte community structure may be influenced by underlying environmental factors at various spatial scales. What proportion of the observed bryophyte species distribution pattern is directly attributable to environmental variables? Within the Hayward Brook Watershed (Westmorland County, NB), bryophyte species abundance, canopy, litter and topographical variables were recorded in 155 1.25-m2 quadrats. Partial Canonical Correspondence Analysis (PCCA) was used to partition out the individual and combined influences of environment on species distribution. Environmental variables accounted for 26% of the total species pattern (3.564 of the 13.641 total inertia). Of the environmental variables, the unique contribution of litter accounted for the largest proportion of the species distribution pattern (14.3%), followed by topography (7.72%); canopy alone accounted for the least (1.71%). The remainder (1.99%) was attributable to combinations of these variables. Litter may influence bryophytes in several ways: (1) physically, e.g. acting as substrate or barrier, and/or (2) chemically, as a source of e.g. nutrients or toxins. The remaining 74% of species pattern may be influenced by factors such as other environmental variables, interspecific relationships, spore/gemmae dispersal and establishment, or chance.

• Sollows, C. and K.A. Frego. 1999. Recovery of Bazzania trilobata (L.) S. Gray following dessication. B.Sc. Honours thesis, University of New Brunswick (Saint John), Submitted to The Bryologist October 1999.

  Bazzania trilobata (L.) S. Gray is a common leafy liverwort on the floor of closed canopy mixed and coniferous forests in New Brunswick. It may be a suitable indicator of bryohyte diversity depending on its ability to adapt to forestry-related environmental stresses, however published information regarding this species is scant. This study uses a combination of approamollected from a clear-cut area adjacent to the forest, where they had been field-dried for 2 years. Baseline data were recorded for all samples as well as for fresh samples (controls). All samples were subjected to a recovery period of high humidity, low light intensity, and moderate temperatures. Post recovery measurements were compared to the base-line data.
  
  Metabolic activity, including net carbon gain, of the field-dried samples increased following the recovery period, suggesting that they are able to remain viable for at least 2 years following a clear-cut forest disturbance and ultimately recover. Metabolic activity did not increase for sun-dried and shade-dried samples following the recovery period, suggesting the dessication tolerance range of B. trilobata lies between the conditions of the clear-cut and those of the sun-dried and shade-dried treatments. None of the samples from drying treatments reached the photosynthetic rates of the controls, before or after recovery.
  
  Given its easy visual identification and sensitivity to dessication, B. trilobata may be a practical indicator of a specific range of environmental conditions associated with closed forest communities. It may be useful in determining which forest-harvest technique causes the least change to these conditions, with the ultimate goal of maintaining native biodiversity, but further work is needed to determine its ability to represent the status of other species.

• Waldick, R. 1994. Implications of forestry-associated habitat conversion on amphibians in the vicinity of Fundy National Park, New Brunswick. M.Sc. thesis, Dalhousie University, Halifax, N.S. 177p.

  The effects of the conversion of a natural, mixed-species forest in Eastern Canada into a managed conifer plantation was examined. The ecological conversion resulted in changes in microclimate and physical habitat that reduce the suitability of these sites for some species of amphibian. At the stand level, increased exposure occurred as a result of: tree canopy removal, and degradation in the quantity and quality of leaf litter, and large-dimension woody debris. Of the various species studied, only the American toad (Bufo americanus) appeared to be tolerant of these habitat changes. Conversely, the greatest influences were on the red-backed salamander (Plethodon cinereus) and the yellow-spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum).
  
  Although certain elements of plantations become more suitable foe some amphibian species with time, the persistence of reduced relative humidity and degraded litter quality limits other species. Furthermore, recolonization by amphibians is also influenced by the juxtaposition of silvicultural and natural areas over the landscape. The proximity to mixed-species forests for immigration is particularly important.
  
  The presence of amphibians at breeding habitats may not reflect the status of local populations or the quality of the surrounding habitat. Consequently, terrestrial species, like Plethodontid salamanders should be used as indicators of habitat quality. Management efforts should focus on mitigating changes to habitat features that influence the most sensitive amphibian species (i.e., red-backed salamanders). This can be accomplished by permitting sites to regenerate a variety of tree species and retaining natural forests (large enough to support viable amphibian populations) within plantations would ensure the presence of source populations for recolonization.

• Watts, E., S. Flemming, and G. Holloway. 1998. Characteristics of trees used for nesting and roosting by Pileated Woodpeckers in southern New Brunswick. Unpublished paper. Fundy National Park.
  
  
• Ward, T. 1998. Survival and growth of Maianthemum canadense Desf. and Oxalis montana Raf. Under different substrate and slash conditions. B.Sc.F Thesis, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick.
  
  
• Zelazny, V., H. Veen, and M. Colpitts. 1997. Potential Forests of the Fundy Model Forest. Submitted to Fundy Model Forest, Forest Management Branch 55 p.
  
  
• Zhu, L. 1998. The effects of harvesting on the species composition and diversity of the herbaceous layer in a mixed forest in New Brunswick. MScF Thesis, Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick.
  
  
• Zundel, P., H. MacGregor, and G. Savage. 1994. Management of Wildlife-Based Recreation in the Fundy Model Forest - Final Report of Phase I. Unpublished paper Submitted to the Fundy Model Forest, Sussex, N.B. 58 p.

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