Tree cores and bark were sampled from jack pine trees at 18 sites in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region (AOSR) of Alberta, Canada, to investigate spatial and temporal trends of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PACs). Spatial trends were investigated in the bark samples, where ΣPAC concentrations ranged...

A comprehensive assessment of the tree growth/climate relationship was undertaken to better understand the potential impacts of climate change on the growth dynamics of four widespread and common boreal tree species, namely jack pine (Pinus banksiana), black spruce (Picea mariana), eastern larch (...

Understanding the magnitude and cause of variation in tree growth and forest productivity is central to sustainable forest management. Measurements of annual growth rings allow assessments of individual-tree, tree population, and forest ecosystem vulnerabilities to drought stress or other changing...

Tree and stand age are critical information needed for understanding forest ecosystems. Tree age estimates are usually derived from ring counts, but these are not dendrochronological estimates unless procedures like ring measurement and cross-dating are used. Stand age is usually estimated from the ...

Past feeding activities of the North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum L.) in an overmature forest were reconstructed using tree-ring dated feeding scars on jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) trees in Parc national du Bic (Quebec). Following a long fire-free period, most pines that regenerated...

In trees experiencing stress prior to death, growth may be partially or totally suppressed, or may occur only in the upper part of the boles. This may induce inaccuracies when retrospectively crossdating dead trees. In this study, we investigated the occurrence and range of time lags between year...

In central Canada, long fire history reconstructions are rare. In a context where both anthropogenic and climate influences on fire regime have changed, Parks Canada has a mandate to maintain ecological integrity. Here we present a fire history derived from fire-scarred jack pine (Pinus banksiana...

Rises in atmospheric carbon dioxide (_atmCO₂) levels are known to stimulate photosynthesis and increase intrinsic water-use efficiency (iWUE) in trees. Stand-level increases in iWUE depend on the physiological response of dominant species to increases in _atmCO₂, while tree-level response to...

Empirical knowledge of forest structure and development in early successional and range-margin populations is often lacking, limiting our ability to effectively model and manage these forests. Such is the case for jack pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) in central Minnesota, USA, where it reaches its...

Insect outbreaks constitute major disturbances and global climate changes are expected to increase their frequency and severity. In Canada, an increase in outbreak severity of the jack pine budworm is expected as a consequence of more frequent droughts associated with climate changes. In this...