A phytosociological study of fir and spruce forests on the plateau of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia ...

• Main Author: Smith, Richard T.
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: University of British Columbia 2010
• Subjects: Breton Island
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0100007; https://doi.library.ubc.ca/10.14288/1.0100007

The present study was designed to: a) employ phytosociological methods to characterize the major spruce and fir forests of the Cape Breton Plateau, b) measure specific climatic and edaphic factors and relate these to the forest vegetation and c) assess the boreal nature of the Plateau forests through comparisons with boreal forests in neighbouring regions of eastern Canada. Climatic measurements were made from June to late August during a two year period. These included continuous recordings of temperature and wind and weekly measurements of precipitation. Daily maximum and minimum temperatures and weekly precipitation were used for climatic characterization of the area and for comparison with D.O.T. meteorological data at Cheticamp and Ingonish Beach in the lowlands of Cape Breton. Soils were sampled, where possible, in each forest stand. Profiles were described and samples were taken for quantitative analysis of texture, nitrogen, phosphorus, carbon, pH, available water, and exchangeable calcium, ...