Scott T. Black

M. Sc. (2008)

Thesis Title:

Plant Community Response to Post-wildfire Management Activities in Interior Douglas-Fir Forests of Southern BC.

Abstract: 

Post-wildfire salvage logging and grass seeding occur over large parts of the forested land base in British Columbia.  However, there is surprisingly little research on the effects these management practices have on plant community composition and species richness.  Conservation of biodiversity in managed forests requires a better understanding of the impacts of forestry practices on the understory vegetation.  I examined vascular and nonvascular plant community responses four years after wildfire in Interior Douglas-Fir (IDF; Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca) forests following two 2003 wildfires near Kamloops, BC (See Map 1). Analysis of the 104 plots suggests that native species richness decreases while exotic species richness increases in response to post-wildfire management practices.  As well, richness of conifer seedlings and shrubs show a strong decline in grass seeded areas.
These finding may have important implications for native plant communities in the face of climate warming and the predicted increase in occurrence of fire on the landscape.

IUFRO/SISCO Poster 2009

General Research Description:
My research looks at the effects of multiple disturbances on plant community composition and general biodiversity.  I am also working on a project examining the effects of buffer strip width on biodiversity in riparian areas. In addition, I am collaborating on a CIDA spatial GIS modeling project looking at the ecological and genetic diversity of underutilized crop species in Ethiopia and effects of climate change. 

A Preliminary Investigation of High Elevation Ecosystem Patterns in the East Kootenay Area of British Columbia

Botany Photo of the Day Post-Fire Management of Forests

Botany Photo of the Day What is Noug?