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Living without herbicides in Québec (Canada): historical context, current strategy, research and challenges in forest vegetation management

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Abstract

Vegetation management is crucial to meeting the objectives of forest plantations. Following public hearing processes, chemical herbicides were banned on Crown forest lands in Québec (Canada) in 2001. Release now mainly relies on mechanical treatments. Our objectives are to review the historical context and the research conducted over the past 15 years that has led to the province’s current vegetation management strategy and to identify the major challenges of vegetation management being faced in Québec in the context of intensive silviculture and ecosystem-based management. Research has led to an integrated management model without herbicides, adapted to the ecological characteristics of reforestation sites. The Québec experience illustrates how, on most sites, vegetation management that is based on early reforestation, the use of tall planting stock and intensive mechanical release brings crop trees to the free-to-grow stage without the use of herbicides and without resulting in major effects on vegetation diversity. This vegetation management strategy is an asset in the implementation of ecosystem-based management. However, research demonstrates that mechanical release alone does not promote optimal crop-tree growth, due to rapid resprouting or suckering of competitors and competition from herbaceous species. Therefore, the current strategy poses important challenges in the management of plantations where the objective is to maximise wood production.

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Notes

  1. Pesticides Act, R.S.Q., Chapter P-9.3.

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Acknowledgments

This paper was presented at the final COST Action E47 conference held in Vejle, Denmark, in May 2009. We thank COST for funding Dr. Thiffault’s participation in the conference. We acknowledge the contribution of Jean Noël and Maripierre Jalbert (Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Québec) who assisted in editing figures and are indebted to Drs. Yan Boucher, Jean-Pierre Saucier, two anonymous reviewers and the Deputy Editor for their helpful suggestions.

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  1. Vincent Roy

    Present address: Laurentian Forestry Centre, Canadian Forest Service, 1055 rue du P.E.P.S., Québec, QC, G1V 4C7, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Direction de la recherche forestière, Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Québec, 2700 rue Einstein, Québec, QC, G1P 3W8, Canada

    Nelson Thiffault & Vincent Roy

  2. Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Québec and Centre d’Étude de la Forêt, Québec, QC, Canada

    Nelson Thiffault

Authors
  1. Nelson Thiffault
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  2. Vincent Roy
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Correspondence to Nelson Thiffault.

Additional information

Communicated by C. Ammer.

This article originates from the final conference of the Cost action E47 “European Network for Forest Vegetation Management: Towards Environmental Sustainability” in Vejle, Denmark, 4–7 May 2009.

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Thiffault, N., Roy, V. Living without herbicides in Québec (Canada): historical context, current strategy, research and challenges in forest vegetation management. Eur J Forest Res 130, 117–133 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-010-0373-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-010-0373-4

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