Forest Health Index - Cape Breton Highlands

What? Forest Health plots in the Boreal and Acadian land regions are being monitored in Cape Breton Highlands National Park to determine if any historical changes are occurring. When? Monitoring frequency for this program occurs on a five year cycle within the Acadian and Boreal Forest regions; sampling typically occurs in July or August. How? Cape Breton Highlands National Park follows an Ecological Monitoring and Assessment Network (EMAN) tree health monitoring protocol. It was developed by the Canadian Forest Service to assess species composition, growth rates, crown conditions and stem defects in an attempt to recognize changes in tree health in Canadian forests. Data in a defined sample plot is collected on the forest species contained within. General data is collected on: tree species; tree age; tree diameters; tree disturbance; and canopy cover to assess general stand health. Why? Forest health trends are being monitored in the Boreal and Acadian forest after some fairly significant historic disturbances. With a spruce budworm outbreak in the early 1980’s and a moose population outbreak that followed, the Acadian and Boreal forests in Cape Breton Highlands National Park have faced some drastic regeneration/composition changes. The forests ecosystems in the park, which contain some a significant portion of remaining old growth forest in Nova Scotia, are showing signs of impaired regeneration.