Title

Temperate Rainforest Dynamics in Coastal British Columbia

Date

Sunday June 22, 2008

Description

This tour will visit dendroecological research sites in the Capilano River watershed, a protected area that provides the drinking water to the City of Greater Vancouver.  We will tour several research plots in second-growth and old-growth western redcedar - western hemlock forests.  Many of the forests we will visit at both areas exemplify the structure and dynamics of “true old-growth forests”, including dominant trees that have lived 500 to 1000 years, coarse woody debris that is centuries old, and canopies comprised of a mosaic of fine-scale gaps which provide horizontal and vertical structural diversity. On the tour, we will visit permanent research plots that were established 15 years ago in which we have documented the population dynamics of the dominant tree species.  Our research includes: reconstruction of the impacts of fine-scale canopy gaps on regeneration dynamics and tree recruitment using tree rings, exploration of the impacts of meso-scale insect defoliations on the forest, and prediction of future forest composition and dynamics using stage projection models. 

Access to sites includes hiking off-trail on steep terrain and will require sturdy hiking boots and appropriate clothes for the field. We will have a picnic lunch at a high elevation tarn; lunch provided.

Cost (per person)

$65 (includes transportation, colour handout, lunch and snacks)

Space Limitation

Up to 50 people ( 2 school buses of 25 each)

Trip Leaders

Dr. Lori Daniels and Dr. Amanda Stan, Geography, University of British Columbia; Jennifer Passmore, MSc, School of Resources & Environment, Simon Fraser University

Handouts

Map for the trip area, stop descriptions and research abstracts

Other considerations

Clothing: sturdy hiking boots required, rain pants and jacket, warm clothing strongly recommended

8:00 am

Depart UBC campus

9:00 am

Arrive at Cleveland Dam, Capilano River watershed

Welcome from Watershed Managers

9:30 am

Travel to Stop 1 – Second-growth hemlock forests

Western hemlock looper outbreaks: cause and effects on forest composition, structure and dynamics

10:30 am

Travel to Stop 2 - East Capilano Creek - Old-growth western red cedar - western hemlock forests, permanent research plots of gap dynamics

12:00 pm

Travel to Rogers Lake

Picnic lunch at Rogers Lake

1:30 pm

Walk to Stop 3 from Rogers Lake

Fine-scale canopy gaps: tree release and regeneration responses

3:30 pm

Wrap up and questions

4:00 pm

Depart for Vancouver

5:30 pm

Return to UBC