Aspen Bibliography

Document Type

Article

Author ORCID Identifier

Yves Bergeron https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3707-3687

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Forests

Volume

15

Issue

2

Publisher

MDPI AG

First Page

1

Last Page

16

Publication Date

2-4-2024

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Abstract

Roads are known to alter environmental conditions and the composition of road edge plant communities, particularly when exogenous materials are used as road surfacing. In this study, we evaluate the impact of gravel roads on the organic layer thickness (OLT) and aspen distribution in a boreal forest landscape of Eastern Canada. The OLT and aspen distribution were compared at different distances from the roads (0 m, 10 m, and >10 m) to determine whether a reduction in the OLT along the roads could explain the distribution of aspen along the road network, and in particular the role of the roads as habitat corridors. In addition, germination tests were carried out to determine whether mineral soil from the roads could promote aspen establishment, by comparing the germination rate of substrates consisting only of mineral soil or mosses, and substrates consisting of mosses covered with 0.5 cm or 2 cm of mineral soil. The presence of aspen in the study landscape is limited by thick organic deposits (≥50 cm). However, the thickness of these deposits is reduced to approximately 10 cm at the edges of gravel roads, in part by the transport of mineral soil from the roads. This reduction in the OLT facilitates the establishment of aspen and helps explain its distribution along the road network.

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