{"id":96285,"date":"2026-04-16T11:25:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T15:25:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/?post_type=cpt_publication&p=96285"},"modified":"2026-08-05T14:00:14","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T18:00:14","slug":"post-fire-resilience-mature-forest-eastern","status":"publish","type":"cpt_publication","link":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/post-fire-resilience-mature-forest-eastern\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecological factors shaping post-fire resilience in mature black spruce forests of eastern North America"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Published in Journal of Ecology 114: e70260<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Climate-induced fire regime shifts may reduce post-fire recovery and erode the resilience of the boreal forests. The eastern North American boreal zone is often dominated by near-monospecific stands of black spruce (BS, Picea mariana<\/em>), a tree species with regeneration traits that are adapted to stand-replacing fire. While post-fire vulnerability of immature BS stands has been extensively studied, no study has evaluated post-fire regeneration of mature BS stands and its ecological determinants at the subcontinental scale.<\/li>\n
  2. This study assessed the fire resilience of mature BS forests and the effects of major environmental drivers on post-fire
    regeneration. We analysed an extensive network of 536 mature BS-dominated stands that were affected by 21 fires (1995\u20132016) across a 50,400 km2<\/sup> boreal landscape in eastern North America. We first quantified post-fire seedling density (seedlings\/ha) of BS and co-occurring tree species to determine the proportion of plots affected by low levels of BS regeneration and potential shifts toward jack pine (JP, Pinus banksiana<\/em>) or broadleaved species. We then analysed the effects of seed bank condition, fire characteristics (severity and seasonality) and seedbed conditions on post-fire
    BS regeneration.<\/li>\n
  3. One-third of the plots exhibited low-regeneration levels, particularly in stands that were dense and closed-canopy prior to the fire. A relatively minor proportion (one-fifth) also experienced compositional changes, mainly toward JP. Generalized linear mixed-effect models indicated that higher pre-fire BS basal area and greater post-fire cover of unburned living Sphagnum promoted post-fire BS regeneration, whereas high-severity crown fires and spring fires had negative effects.<\/li>\n
  4. Synthesis. Based on a dataset of unprecedented size and spatial extent in eastern Canada, our study provides the first robust assessment of the fire resilience of mature BS forests. A third of pre-fire mature closed-canopy stands are expected to transition into open woodlands, a change that could persist for centuries. While mature BS-dominated forests are generally considered more fire-resilient than younger stands, our study raises concerns about their capacity to persist and maintain ecosystem services under the projected climate-driven increases in burned area and severity.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u00a0<\/p>\n

    \u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Published in Journal of Ecology 114: e70260 Climate-induced fire regime shifts may reduce post-fire recovery and erode the resilience of the boreal forests. The eastern North American boreal zone is often dominated by near-monospecific stands of black spruce (BS, Picea mariana), a tree species with regeneration traits that are adapted to stand-replacing fire. While post-fire […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","format":"standard","cptt_secteur":[1179],"cptt_theme":[1234,1180,1181],"cptt_categ_publi":[1149],"cptt_auteurs_ministeriels":[1067,1071],"class_list":["post-96285","cpt_publication","type-cpt_publication","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","cptt_secteur-forests","cptt_theme-forest-dynamic","cptt_theme-forestry-research","cptt_theme-forests","cptt_categ_publi-scientific-article","cptt_auteurs_ministeriels-m-barrette","cptt_auteurs_ministeriels-boucher-yan"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nEcological factors shaping post-fire resilience in mature black spruce forests of eastern North America - Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This study assesses the post-fire regeneration potential of mature black spruce in the boreal forest of eastern North America.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/post-fire-resilience-mature-forest-eastern\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ecological factors shaping post-fire resilience in mature black spruce forests of eastern North America - Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This study assesses the post-fire regeneration potential of mature black spruce in the boreal forest of eastern North America.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/post-fire-resilience-mature-forest-eastern\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RessourcesNaturellesForets\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-05T18:00:14+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Image-g%c3%a9n%c3%a9rale-hiver_FB.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@mrnfqc\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/post-fire-resilience-mature-forest-eastern\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/post-fire-resilience-mature-forest-eastern\/\",\"name\":\"Ecological factors shaping post-fire resilience in mature black spruce forests of eastern North America - Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-16T15:25:37+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-08-05T18:00:14+00:00\",\"description\":\"This study assesses the post-fire regeneration potential of mature black spruce in the boreal forest of eastern North America.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/post-fire-resilience-mature-forest-eastern\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/post-fire-resilience-mature-forest-eastern\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/post-fire-resilience-mature-forest-eastern\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Accueil\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Publications\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/nos-publications\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Ecological factors shaping post-fire resilience in mature black spruce forests of eastern North America\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/\",\"name\":\"Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats\",\"description\":\"Prototype WordPress\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ecological factors shaping post-fire resilience in mature black spruce forests of eastern North America - Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats","description":"This study assesses the post-fire regeneration potential of mature black spruce in the boreal forest of eastern North America.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/post-fire-resilience-mature-forest-eastern\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ecological factors shaping post-fire resilience in mature black spruce forests of eastern North America - Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats","og_description":"This study assesses the post-fire regeneration potential of mature black spruce in the boreal forest of eastern North America.","og_url":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/post-fire-resilience-mature-forest-eastern\/","og_site_name":"Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/RessourcesNaturellesForets\/","article_modified_time":"2026-08-05T18:00:14+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"\/wp-content\/uploads\/Image-g%c3%a9n%c3%a9rale-hiver_FB.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@mrnfqc","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/post-fire-resilience-mature-forest-eastern\/","url":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/post-fire-resilience-mature-forest-eastern\/","name":"Ecological factors shaping post-fire resilience in mature black spruce forests of eastern North America - Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-04-16T15:25:37+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-05T18:00:14+00:00","description":"This study assesses the post-fire regeneration potential of mature black spruce in the boreal forest of eastern North America.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/post-fire-resilience-mature-forest-eastern\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/post-fire-resilience-mature-forest-eastern\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/our-publications\/post-fire-resilience-mature-forest-eastern\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Accueil","item":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Publications","item":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/nos-publications\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Ecological factors shaping post-fire resilience in mature black spruce forests of eastern North America"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/","name":"Minist\u00e8re des Ressources naturelles et des For\u00eats","description":"Prototype WordPress","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cpt_publication\/96285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cpt_publication"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/cpt_publication"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cpt_publication\/96285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":106352,"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cpt_publication\/96285\/revisions\/106352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=96285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"cptt_secteur","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cptt_secteur?post=96285"},{"taxonomy":"cptt_theme","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cptt_theme?post=96285"},{"taxonomy":"cptt_categ_publi","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cptt_categ_publi?post=96285"},{"taxonomy":"cptt_auteurs_ministeriels","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mrnf.gouv.qc.ca\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cptt_auteurs_ministeriels?post=96285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}