Work

What burns and what is cut? Contrasting disturbance effects of harvesting and wildfire on primary forest stands in old-growth–dominated boreal landscapes

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: • Fire avoids coniferous old-growth forests with tall and/or dense canopies. • Low- and open-canopy coniferous forests exhibit higher fire susceptibility. • Forest harvesting preferentially targets older, taller and denser stands than fire. • Harvesting bias alters representativity of remnant boreal old-growth forests. • Avoidance of low- and open-canopy forests by harvesting may increase fire risk.

Source: Forest Ecology and Management

DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123905

Authors: Maxence Martin, Claudio Mura, Kaysandra Waldron, Junior A. Tremblay