Multiple developmental pathways for range-margin Pinus banksiana forests

Abstract

Empirical knowledge of forest structure and development in early successional and range-margin populations is often lacking, limiting our ability to effectively model and manage these forests. Such is the case for jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) in central Minnesota, USA, where it reaches its southwestern range limit. Our objective was to quantify this population's historical range of variability of structural conditions and developmental pathways. We collected structural, spatial, and dendrochronological data on 0.25 ha plots from 10 jack pine dominated sites that initiated and developed outside of active management. Our results revealed a broad range of structural characteristics and developmental pathways, including rapid and protracted recruitment windows (5–50 years), with subsequent even- and uneven-aged structures, and random and clumped stem spatial arrangements. As such, these mature, early successional forests often displayed a degree of complexity more typically associated with old-growth forests. Our findings suggest that this population, like other southern range-margin populations with mostly nonserotinous cones, historically followed a variety of stand development pathways and did not solely follow the rapid establishment, even-aged pathway often attributed to this forest type. We suggest that even- and uneven-aged silvicultural systems should be used to reflect this historical range of developmental pathways and to increase resilience and adaptability.