A FOREST ECOSYSTEM GUIDE FOR THE AMOS LOWLANDS ECOLOGICAL REGION, NORTHWESTERN QUEBEC - A FOREST MANAGEMENT APPROACH

In Quebec, forest stations are defined as forest units that are reason ably homogeneous in terms of forest composition and site characteristi cs - as expressed by surficial deposit and moisture regime - and withi n which similar operational constraints for silvicultural potential an d productivity levels may be expected. In the course of developing a f ield guide to the forest stations of the Amos Lowlands Ecological Regi on in northwestern Quebec, classifications of 12 site types and 72 for est stations (38 forest cover types or 16 general cover types) were de veloped. The classifications were based on a hybrid approach involving cluster analysis of forest ecological units inventoried in subregiona l studies, classical classification and ordination analyses performed on a regional biophysical inventory database, and empirically associat ing forest cover types to site types. The guide, while similar to othe r published forest ecosystem classification guides, emphasizes forest dynamics by presenting forest stations common to a given site type acc ording to their successional stage. Field keys and general interpretat ions of forest potential and operational constraints are included in t he guide. A summary description of the guide and accompanying document s is provided. A first draft has been distributed recently for feedbac k from industrial and government foresters and researchers in the regi on. Analyses of inventory data is continuing and modifications will be incorporated into a second draft before publication in 1995.