Forest Ecology and Silviculture
It is a great challenge to manage forest lands for the perpetual production of multiple forest services and products. This requires the designation of sustained yield units of land, and the determination of sustainable levels of resource harvesting based on documented rates of renewal, disturbance and interactions with other resource values. Experiments in forest stand manipulation (silviculture) help identify these interactions and how multiple forest values can be conserved.
Selected Projects:
Sustainable Forest Management Network (Edmonton, Alberta), 2000-2003, Co-ordination (editing, indexing, writing one chapter, co-authoring three chapters) of a book entitled "Towards Sustainable Management of the Boreal Forest," published by NRC Research Press, Ottawa, Ontario.
B.C. Ministry of Forests, Prince George Forest Region (Prince George, B.C.), 2001-2002, "Refining an Index to Assess Old Growth Features in the Robson Valley Forest District"
B.C. Ministry of Sustainable Resource Management (Skeena Region, Smithers, B.C.), 2001-2002, "Expert Panel on Landscape Planning in Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak Areas"
B.C. Ministry of Forests, Forest Practices Branch (Victoria, B.C.), 1999-2001, "The Strategic Use of Site Preparation"
B.C. Ministry of Forests, Prince George Forest Region (Prince George, B.C.), 1999, “Compilation and Analysis of Windthrow in Wildlife Tree Patches in the Sub-Boreal Spruce Zone”
B.C. Ministry of Forests, Cariboo Forest Region (Williams Lake, B.C.), 1998-1999, “Influences on the Density of Natural Regeneration in Uniform Shelterwoods Dominated by Douglas-fir in the Sub-Boreal Spruce Zone”
Science Council of B.C./Forest Renewal B.C. (Burnaby, B.C.), 1996-1999, "Effects of Block Edges and Patch Retention on Vegetation in the SBSmc"
B.C. Ministry of Forests, Prince Rupert Forest Region (Smithers, B.C.), 1996, "Sub-Boreal Spruce Stand Dynamics and Old-Growth Management"
B.C. Ministry of Forests, Silviculture Practices Branch (Victoria, B.C.), 1995-1999, "Effects of Disc Trench Orientation and Planting Spot Selection on the Ten-year Performance of Lodgepole Pine"
Silviculture Institute of British Columbia (Vancouver, B.C.), 1995, 1996, "Professional Module II: Regeneration" (Module Leader); 1999, "Professional Module I: Basic Principles"
B.C. Ministry of Forests, Research Branch (Victoria, B.C.), 1995-1996, Contributions to "Methods for Studying Tree Seed Biology in the Field"
B.C. Ministry of Forests, Research Branch (Victoria, B.C.), 1995, "A Comparative Study Employing Different Methods for the Inventory of Coarse Woody Debris"
B.C. Ministry of Forests, Silviculture Practices Branch (Victoria, B.C.), 1992-1996, "Experimental Investigation of Conifer Germination Ecology"
Selected Reports & Publications:
Seibold, S., ... P.J. Burton, et al. 2021. The contribution of insects to global forest deadwood decomposition. Nature 597(7874): 77-81 + 14 p. supp. mat. DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03740-8.
Kneeshaw, D., B. Sturtevant, L. DeGrandpé, E. Doblas-Miranda, P.M.A. James, D. Tardif, and P.J. Burton. 2021. The vision of managing for pest-resistant landscapes: Realistic or utopic? Current Forestry Reports 7: 97-113. DOI: 10.1007/s40725-021-00140-z.
Coogan, S.C.P., L.D. Daniels, D. Boychuk, P.J. Burton, M.D. Flannigan, S. Gauthier, V. Kafka, J.S. Park, and B.M. Wotton. 2021. Fifty years of wildland fire science in Canada. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 51: 283-302. DOI: 10.1139/cjfr-2020-0314
Cardoso, J.C., P.J. Burton, and C.M. Elkin. 2020. A disturbance ecology perspective on silvicultural site preparation. Forests 11, 1278. 12 p. DOI:10.3390/f11121278.
Leverkus, A.B., B. Buma, J. Wagenbrenner, P.J. Burton, E. Lingua, R. Marzano, and S. Thorn. 2020.Tamm review: Does salvage logging mitigate subsequent forest disturbances? Forest Ecology and Management 481, 118721. DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2020.118721
Mansuy, N., P.J. Burton, J. Stanturf, J., C. Beatty, C. Mooney, P. Besseau, D. Dehenhardt, K. MacAfee, and R. Lapointe. 2020. Scaling up forest landscape restoration in Canada in an era of cumulative effects and climate change. Forest Policy and Economics 116(7): 102177. 10 p. DOI: 10.1016/j.forpol.2020.102177.
Seidl, R., J. Honkaniemi, T. Aakala, A. Aleinikov, P. Angelstam, M. Bouchard, Y. Boulanger, P.J. Burton, L. De Grandpré, S. Gauthier, W.D. Hansen, J.U. Jepsen, K. Jõgiste, D.D. Kneeshaw, T. Kuuluvainen, O. Lisitsyna, K. Makoto, A.S. Mori, D.S. Pureswaran, E. Shorohova, E. Shubnitsina, A.R. Taylor, N. Vladimirova, F. Vodde, and C. Senf. 2020. Globally consistent climate sensitivity of natural disturbances across boreal and temperate forest ecosystems. Ecography 43(7): 967-978. DOI: 10.1111/ecog.04995
Clason, A.J., P.J. Burton, and E.J.B. McIntire. 2020. Latitudinal limit not a cold limit: Cold temperatures do not constrain an endangered tree species at its northern edge. Journal of Biogeography 47(6): 1398-1412. DOI: 10.1111/jbi.13822.
Burton, P.J., and Y. Boulanger. 2018. Characterizing the combined fire and insect outbreak disturbance regimes of British Columbia, Canada. Landscape Ecology 33(11): 1997-2011. DOI 10.1007/s10980-018-0710-4.
Haughian, S.R., and P.J. Burton. 2018. Microclimate differences above ground-layer vegetation in lichen-dominated pine forests of north-central British Columbia. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 249: 100-106. DOI: 10.1016/j.agrformet.2017.11.029.
Thorn, S., C. Bässler, R. Brandl, P.J. Burton, R. Cahall, J.L. Campbell, J. Castro, C.Y. Choi, T. Cobb, T., D.C. Donato, E. Durska, J.B. Fontaine, S. Gauthier, C. Hebert, T. Hothorn, R.L. Hutto, E.-J. Lee, A.B. Leverkus, D.B. Lindenmayer, M.K. Obrist, J. Rost, S. Seibold, R. Seidl, D. Thom, K. Waldron, B. Wermelinger, M.-B. Winter, M. Zmihorski, and J. Müller. 2018. Impacts of salvage logging on biodiversity: a meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Ecology 55(1): 279-289. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.2945.
Aubin, I., A.D. Munson, F. Cardou, P.J. Burton, N. Isabel, J.H. Pedlar, A. Paquette, A.R. Taylor, S. Delagrange, H. Kebli, C. Messier, B. Shipley, F. Valladares, J. Kattge, L. Boisvert-Marsh, and D. McKenney. 2016. Traits to stay, traits to move: a review of functional traits to assess sensitivity and adaptive capacity of temperate and boreal forests to climate change. Environmental Reviews 24(2): 164-186. DOI 10.1139/er-2015-0072.
Haughian, S.R, and P.J. Burton. 2015. Microhabitat associations of lichens, feathermosses, and vascular plants in a caribou winter range, and their implications for understory development. Botany 93(4): 221-231. DOI: 10.1139/cjb-2014-0238
Edwards, M., M. Krawchuk, and P.J. Burton. 2015. Short-interval disturbance in lodgepole pine forests, British Columbia, Canada: Understory and overstory response to mountain pine beetle and fire. Forest Ecology and Management 338: 163-175. DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2014.11.011
Klassen, H.A., and P.J. Burton. 2015. Climatic characterization of forest zones across administrative boundaries improves conservation planning. Applied Vegetation Science 18(2): 343-356. DOI: 10.1111/avsc.12143
Gauthier, S., P. Bernier, P.J. Burton, J. Edwards, K. Isaac, N. Isabel, K. Jayen, H. Le Goff, and E.A. Nelson. 2014. Climate change vulnerability and adaptation in the managed Canadian boreal forest. Environmental Reviews 22(3): 256-285. DOI: 10.1139/er-2013-0064
Boulanger, Y., S. Gauthier, and P.J. Burton. 2014. A refinement of models projecting future Canadian fire regimes using homogeneous fire regime zones. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 44(4): 365-376. DOI: 10.1139/cjfr-2013-0372
Filotas, E., L. Parrott, P.J. Burton, R.L. Chazdon, K.D. Coates, L. Coll, S. Haeussler, K. Martin, S. Nocentini, K.J. Puettmann, F.E. Putz, S.W. Simard, and C. Messier. 2014. Viewing forests through the lens of complex systems science. Ecosphere 5(1): art. 1, 23 p. DOI: 10.1890/ES13-00182.1
Brown, M.G., T.A. Black, Z. Nesic, V.N. Foord, D.L. Spittlehouse, A. L. Fredeen, R. Bowler, N.J. Grant, P.J. Burton, J.A. Trofymow, and D. Lessard. 2014. Evapotranspiration and canopy characteristics of two lodgepole pine stands following mountain pine beetle attack. Hydrological Processes 28(8): 3326-3340. DOI: 10.1002/hyp.9870.
Mathys, A., T.A. Black, Z. Nesic, G. Nishio, M. Brown, D.L. Spittlehouse, A.L. Fredeen, R. Bowler, R.S. Jassal, N.J. Grant, P.J. Burton, and J.A. Trofymow. 2013. Carbon balance of a partially harvested mixed conifer forest following mountain pine beetle attack and its comparison to a clear-cut. Biogeosciences 10:5451-5463. DOI: 10.5194/bgd-10-4927-2013.
Lehnert, L.W., C. Bässler, R. Brandl, P.J. Burton, and J. Müller. 2012. Conservation value of forests attacked by bark beetles: highest number of indicator species is found in early successional stages. Journal for Nature Conservation 21(2):97-104. DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2012.11.003.
Haughian, S.R., P.J. Burton, S.W. Taylor, and C.L. Curry. 2012. Expected effects of climate change on forest disturbance regimes in British Columbia. Journal of Ecosystems and Management 13(1):1-24. Available on-line at https://jem-online.org/index.php/jem/article/viewFile/152/107
Wallenius, T.H., J. Pennanen, and P.J. Burton. 2011. Long-term decreasing trend in forest fires in northwestern Canada. Ecosphere 2(5): art. 53, 16 p. DOI: 10.1890/ES11-00055.1
Burton, P.J. 2010. Striving for sustainability and resilience in the face of unprecedented change: the case of the mountain pine beetle outbreak in British Columbia. Sustainability 2: 2403-2423. DOI: 10.3390/su2082403.
Brown, M., T.A. Black, Z. Nesic, V.N. Foord, D.L. Spittlehouse, A.L. Fredeen, N.J. Grant, P.J. Burton, and J.A. Trofymow. 2010. Impact of mountain pine beetle on the net ecosystem production of lodgepole pine stands in British Columbia. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology 150(2): 254-264. DOI: 10.10.1016/j.agformet.2009.11.008.
Lindenmayer, D.B., M.L. Hunter, P.J. Burton, and P. Gibbons. 2009. Effects of logging on fire regimes in moist forests. Conservation Letters 2(6): 271-277. DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2009.00080.x.
Rose, N.-A., and P.J. Burton. 2009. Using bioclimatic envelopes to identify temporal corridors in support of conservation planning in a changing climate. Forest Ecology and Management 258S: S64–S74. DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2009.07.053
Winder, R., and P. Burton. 2009. More than trees: How silviculture intersects with mushrooms, berries, and other botanical products. Silviculture Magazine (Fall 2009):4-8.
Doblas-Miranda, E., D. Kneeshaw, P. Burton, B. Cooke, M.-J. Fortín, D. MacLean, R. Man, M. Papaik, and B. Sturtevant. 2009. Mitigating the effects of insect outbreaks for sustainable forest management. Sustainable Forest Management Network Research Note No. 48. 6 p.
Burton, P.J., M.-A. Parisien, J.A. Hicke, R.J. Hall, and J.T. Freeburn. 2008. Large fires as agents of ecological diversity in the North American boreal forest. International Journal of Wildland Fire 17(6): 754-767. DOI: 10.1071/WF07149
Burton, P.J. 2008. The potential role of secondary structure in forest renewal after mountain pine beetle. Canadian Silviculture, May 2008:26-29.
Burton, P.J. 2008. The mountain pine beetle as an agent of forest disturbance. B.C. Journal of Ecosystems and Management 9(3):9-13.
Coates, K.D., C. DeLong, P.J. Burton, and D.L. Sachs. 2006. Abundance of Secondary Structure in Lodgepole Pine Stands Affected by Mountain Pine Beetle. Report for the Chief Forester. Bulkley Valley Centre for Natural Resources Research & Management. Smithers, B.C. 17 p.
Burton, P.J. 2006. The need for long-term research installations and datasets profiled at the Fifth North American Forest Ecology Workshop. Pages 136 to 138 in L.C. Irland, A.E. Camp, J.C. Brissette, and Z.R. Donohew, editors. Long-Term Silvicultural & Ecological Studies: Results for Science and Management. GISF Research Paper 005, Global Institute of Sustainable Forestry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
Burton, P., S. Taylor, and G. Thandi. 2005. Challenges in defining the disturbance regimes of northern British Columbia. B.C. Journal of Ecosystems and Management 6(2):119-123.
Burton, P.J. 2005. Ecosystem management and conservation biology. Pages 307 to 322 in S.B. Watts and L. Tolland, editors. Forestry Handbook for British Columbia, Fifth Edition. Faculty of Forestry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.
Burton, P. 2004. Forest ecosystem management: An invitation for forest stewardship. Canadian Silviculture Spring 2004:23-25.
Burton, P.J. 2003. Book Review / Revue de livre: “The Ecology of Trees in the Tropical Rain Forest, by I.M. Turner, 2001.” The Canadian Botanical Association Bulletin 36(1):14-15.
Burton, P., and C. DeLong. 2002. Rating Candidate Stands for Old Growth Management in the Robson Valley Forest District. Prince George Forest Region, Forest Research Note #PG-25. B.C. Ministry of Forests, Prince George, B.C. 7 p.
Burton, P., and T. Kuuluvainen. 2001. Emulating nature in forestry will mean a greater diversity of management practices. Ecoforestry 16(1):21-23.
Burton, P.J. 1998. Designing riparian buffers. Ecoforestry 13(3):12-22.
Burton, P.J. 1998. An assessment of silvicultural practices and forest policy in British Columbia from the perspective of restoration ecology. Pages 173 to 178 in B. Egan, compiler and editor. Helping the Land Heal: Ecological Restoration in British Columbia Conference Proceedings. Conference held November 5-7, 1998, Victoria, B.C. B.C. Environmental Network Educational Foundation, Vancouver, B.C.
Burton, P. 1997. Viewpoint: Ecosystem management means long-term management. ABCPF Forum 4(2):9-10. (Published by the Association of British Columbia Professional Foresters, Vancouver, B.C.).
Burton, P.J. 1996. When is vegetation control necessary? Pages 11-16 in P.G. Comeau, G.L. Harper, M.E. Blache, J.O. Boateng, and L.A. Gilkeson, editors. Integrated Forest Vegetation Management: Options and Applications. Proceedings of the Fifth B.C. Forest Vegetation Management Workshop, November 29-30, 1993, Richmond, B.C. FRDA Report 251. Canadian Forest Service and B.C. Ministry of Forests, Victoria, B.C.
Burton, P.J. 1996. Differential conifer establishment in pure and mixed neighbourhoods of early successional post-logging vegetation. Pages 91-96 in P.G. Comeau, G.L. Harper, M.E. Blache,
J.O. Boateng, and L.A. Gilkeson, editors. Integrated Forest Vegetation Management: Options and Applications. Proceedings of the Fifth B.C. Forest Vegetation Management Workshop, November 29-30, 1993, Richmond, B.C. FRDA Report 251. Canadian Forest Service and B.C. Ministry of Forests, Victoria, B.C.