GREEN TREE RETENTION:
a Tool to Maintain Ecosystem Health and Function
Can we help to maintain ecosytems with better commercial forest harvesting practices? A collaboration of interdisciplinary researchers are
working to address this question. An experiment is currently underway on Vancouver Island at the BC Ministry of Forests' Silviculture Treatments for Ecosystem Managment in the
Sayward (STEMS) research facility. We are looking at the health of coastal temperate Douglas Fir forests both pre- and post-harvest. In some harvesting areas 'islands' of
intact forest will be retained and we will assess the impact of these conserved patches in maintaining ecosystem function.
To measure ecosystem health and function we are studying the soils. Soils contain a complex community of organisms and are integral in
promoting the growth of healthy forests through processes such as decomposition, nutrient cycling, and symbiotic relationships with higher plants. Our study includes assessments of
bacteria and other soil microbes; fungi, with attention to mycorrhizae; and invertebrates such as nematodes, oligochaete worms, collembola, and mites.
This website is a digital library of the terrestrial arthropod mesofauna found in the experiment so far. Serving as a record to aid in
identification for our researchers the library will also allow consultation with scientists worldwide to gain confirmations of taxonomic identities.
Can we help to maintain ecosytems with better commercial forest harvesting practices? A collaboration of interdisciplinary researchers are
working to address this question. An experiment is currently underway on Vancouver Island at the BC Ministry of Forests' Silviculture Treatments for Ecosystem Managment in the
Sayward (STEMS) research facility. We are looking at the health of coastal temperate Douglas Fir forests both pre- and post-harvest. In some harvesting areas 'islands' of
intact forest will be retained and we will assess the impact of these conserved patches in maintaining ecosystem function.