EARLY POSTHARVEST SUCCESSION IN RELATION TO SITE TYPE IN THE SOUTHERN BOREAL FOREST OF QUEBEC

Early vegetation development following harvest was evaluated for nine common site types in the southern clay belt of northwestern Quebec. Stocking of broadleaf tree and high shrub stems less than 1 m tall was either stable or declined on all sites over a period of 8 years following harvest, whereas stocking of stems over 1 m displayed increases on all but mesic clay sites. These latter sites had the lowest broadleaf and high shrub stocking but a high cover of raspberry (Rubus idaeus L.), low shrubs, and herbs. Mesic to hydric clays and hydric organic site types had considerably higher cover of ruderal and introduced species than sand and till sites, TWINSPAN indicator species analysis was used to explore phytosociological associations of postharvest vegetation. The distribution of 11 phytosociological groups among the nine site types was analysed using contingency analysis to test the specificity of species groups to site types and the floristic amplitude of the latter. With the exception of one phytosociological group that displayed a broad spectrum of site type occupation, these groups tended to be associated with sites of similar soil moisture regimes and (or) parent material types. While site type may be improved upon as a stratifier by integrating other environmental, biotic, and operational variables, it does appear to provide a good initial basis for stratification in studies of postdisturbance vegetation dynamics.