SALVAGE LOGGING FOR BIOENERGY PRODUCTION: ECOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR POST-FIRE BLACK-BACKED WOODPECKER AND SAWYER BEETLE DYNAMICS IN THE BOREAL

Bioenergy derived from forest biomass is emerging as a viable alternative to fossil fuels in certain contexts. Use of mill and processing residues is already well established in Canada, but there is potential for increased use of alternative feedstock. Salvage wood from natural disturbances is a largely untapped potential source of woody biomass; however, there are concerns regarding impacts on biodiversity. Salvage harvesting can disrupt a variety of natural processes by quickly removing post-fire snags upon which many species depend, such as bark and wood-boring beetles, which colonize and thrive in stands for several years after fire. The white-spotted sawyer (Monochamus scutellatus scutellatus Say) and the spotted pine sawyer beetle (Monochamus mutator LeConte) are two such wood-boring species whose larvae feed on and develop within dying or recently killed trees. The black-backed woodpecker (Picoides arcticus)—as well as other woodpeckers—feed on a variety of abundant bark and wood-boring beetles after disturbances, especially large wood-borers, such as white-spotted and spotted pine sawyer larvae. Black-backed woodpeckers are rare in unburned forests, but common after fires; suggesting that post-fire stands may function as source habitats. Snags were sampled from 9 unsalvaged plots, representing a gradient from pure black spruce to jack pine-dominated stands