Since 2001, the forest sector and forest communities across Northern Ontario have experienced many challenges. In response, there has been significant provincial debate and policy reform surrounding the use and control of Crown forests, and some local leaders have established the Northeast Superior Forest Community Corporation (NSFC) under the federal Forest Communities Program (FCP) to collaborate for much needed economic and governance alternatives. This process has been difficult and characterized by uncertainty and conflict. This research examines evolving social framings of Northern Ontario’s ‘forestry crisis’ and the consequences of uneven power relations in the Northeast Superior Region of Ontario, Canada. Four core research questions were pursued: 1) how do different actors frame the forestry crisis in the Northeast Superior Region (e.g., problems, solutions and different actors)? 2) Do actors’ frames change over time? 3) What forms and sources of power are present and how do they influence, if at all, the construction of shared meaning? 4) How does social learning influence the way actors approach forest management problems related to policy, planning and practice? A single embedded case study design and mixed methods approach enabled analysis at the regional and organizational scales, for the period 2001-2009. A key informant survey assessed regional public-civic-private perceptions regarding the use and control of Crown forests. Fifty-nine interviews and over 200 documents from local and regional newspapers and reports were examined. Direct observations from two NSFC meetings and two regional conferences regarding Ontario’s forest governance challenges supplemented these data. Actors’ contrasting and shifting views were coded using QSR Nvivo 7 and analyzed for convergence as evidence of collective reframing. Survey results and frame analysis established two main perspectives of the ‘forestry crisis’: 1) a conventional perspective in which forest companies hold the primary interest in resource extraction as policy agents; and, 2) an alternative view that seeks increased municipal and Aboriginal control of forests to achieve equity and provide regional stability. Power relations reinforced an entrenched community of interest, including both internal and external actors (e.g., investors, mill managers and workers, bush workers, and government regulators), that has formed around a common goal and/or set of beliefs (i.e., timber extraction and scientific forestry). These interests have historically reproduced uneven social relations and overridden communities of place and collective place-based identities. The analysis builds to 14 conclusions that address the core research questions, highlights of which include: • Social framings of the forestry crisis in the Northeast Superior Region, as well as identities and local culture, are mediated by core-periphery dynamics. Such conditions normalize ongoing community instability and oversimplify notions of sustainability which prioritize a perpetual timber supply and economic values. • Commitment to place before interests provides a basis to develop trust and mutual understanding of each other and shared problems, and enable reframing of common identities based on shared values and local problems/opportunities. • Public control and collaboration are strongly valued in the Northeast Superior Region. Many leaders and residents want control over resources devolved to the municipal level; however, awareness and a model for effective implementation are needed. • Independent local forums are valuable for developing alternative and representative social framings. • Relational power works to consolidate various forms of agent-based power in dominant actors rather than facilitating its distribution. • Actors with unmatched positional and expertise power can (un)intentionally subvert reframing processes through limiting the participation of dissenters, thereby controlling the organizational framings guiding actions. • Dominant social relations influenced the perceived range of reasonable or desirable options as dominant actors bounded the problem to serve conventional interests, which in turn constrained debate about solutions. • Reframing a common place-based identity inclusive of Aboriginals and municipalities requires the willing redistribution of agent-based power and full recognition of Aboriginal and Treaty Rights. This research builds understanding of how power relations affect the social framings that drive action in settings of crisis, conflict and uncertainty, and provides new evidence to bridge concepts from framing and social learning theory. It supports the premise that social learning is a political process inherent in multi-party collaboration, in which reconciliation of individual and group identities occurs alongside the negotiation of problem and solution definitions. By documenting regional and NSFC perspectives, this research supports the search for alternative tenure models to reinvigorate Ontario’s forest economy and communities. Ten recommendations for NSFC, the Forest Communities Program or emerging collaborative organizations focus on organizational governance and practice to improve conditions affecting power relations and social learning. Main points include considering the need to organize culturally appropriate public workshops on forest issues to meet the need for deliberative space; increase access to organizational information and opportunities for NSFC plans to be publicly reviewed; actively participate in Ontario tenure policy reform discussions to develop, publicize and implement policy alternatives; support Aboriginal and Treaty Rights and meaningful resolution of First Nations settlement negotiations; expand NSFC board representation to include at-large public and ex-officio provincial members; decentralize organizational structures to establish a physical presence in partner communities and draw on leadership and capacity from the whole region; and, establish an explicit rationale for and clearly identify geographical boundaries for the organization.

Since 2001, the forest sector and forest communities across Northern Ontario have experienced many challenges. In response, there has been significant provincial debate and policy reform surrounding the use and control of Crown forests, and some local leaders have established the Northeast Superior Forest Community Corporation (NSFC) under the federal Forest Communities Program (FCP) to collaborate for much needed economic and governance alternatives. This process has been difficult and characterized by uncertainty and conflict. This research examines evolving social framings of Northern Ontario’s ‘forestry crisis’ and the consequences of uneven power relations in the Northeast Superior Region of Ontario, Canada. Four core research questions were pursued: 1) how do different actors frame the forestry crisis in the Northeast Superior Region (e.g., problems, solutions and different actors)? 2) Do actors’ frames change over time? 3) What forms and sources of power are present and how do they influence, if at all, the construction of shared meaning? 4) How does social learning influence the way actors approach forest management problems related to policy, planning and practice? A single embedded case study design and mixed methods approach enabled analysis at the regional and organizational scales, for the period 2001-2009. A key informant survey assessed regional public-civic-private perceptions regarding the use and control of Crown forests. Fifty-nine interviews and over 200 documents from local and regional newspapers and reports were examined. Direct observations from two NSFC meetings and two regional conferences regarding Ontario’s forest governance challenges supplemented these data. Actors’ contrasting and shifting views were coded using QSR Nvivo 7 and analyzed for convergence as evidence of collective reframing. Survey results and frame analysis established two main perspectives of the ‘forestry crisis’: 1) a conventional perspective in which forest companies hold the primary interest in resource extraction as policy agents; and, 2) an alternative view that seeks increased municipal and Aboriginal control of forests to achieve equity and provide regional stability. Power relations reinforced an entrenched community of interest, including both internal and external actors (e.g., investors, mill managers and workers, bush workers, and government regulators), that has formed around a common goal and/or set of beliefs (i.e., timber extraction and scientific forestry). These interests have historically reproduced uneven social relations and overridden communities of place and collective place-based identities. The analysis builds to 14 conclusions that address the core research questions, highlights of which include: • Social framings of the forestry crisis in the Northeast Superior Region, as well as identities and local culture, are mediated by core-periphery dynamics. Such conditions normalize ongoing community instability and oversimplify notions of sustainability which prioritize a perpetual timber supply and economic values. • Commitment to place before interests provides a basis to develop trust and mutual understanding of each other and shared problems, and enable reframing of common identities based on shared values and local problems/opportunities. • Public control and collaboration are strongly valued in the Northeast Superior Region. Many leaders and residents want control over resources devolved to the municipal level; however, awareness and a model for effective implementation are needed. • Independent local forums are valuable for developing alternative and representative social framings. • Relational power works to consolidate various forms of agent-based power in dominant actors rather than facilitating its distribution. • Actors with unmatched positional and expertise power can (un)intentionally subvert reframing processes through limiting the participation of dissenters, thereby controlling the organizational framings guiding actions. • Dominant social relations influenced the perceived range of reasonable or desirable options as dominant actors bounded the problem to serve conventional interests, which in turn constrained debate about solutions. • Reframing a common place-based identity inclusive of Aboriginals and municipalities requires the willing redistribution of agent-based power and full recognition of Aboriginal and Treaty Rights. This research builds understanding of how power relations affect the social framings that drive action in settings of crisis, conflict and uncertainty, and provides new evidence to bridge concepts from framing and social learning theory. It supports the premise that social learning is a political process inherent in multi-party collaboration, in which reconciliation of individual and group identities occurs alongside the negotiation of problem and solution definitions. By documenting regional and NSFC perspectives, this research supports the search for alternative tenure models to reinvigorate Ontario’s forest economy and communities. Ten recommendations for NSFC, the Forest Communities Program or emerging collaborative organizations focus on organizational governance and practice to improve conditions affecting power relations and social learning. Main points include considering the need to organize culturally appropriate public workshops on forest issues to meet the need for deliberative space; increase access to organizational information and opportunities for NSFC plans to be publicly reviewed; actively participate in Ontario tenure policy reform discussions to develop, publicize and implement policy alternatives; support Aboriginal and Treaty Rights and meaningful resolution of First Nations settlement negotiations; expand NSFC board representation to include at-large public and ex-officio provincial members; decentralize organizational structures to establish a physical presence in partner communities and draw on leadership and capacity from the whole region; and, establish an explicit rationale for and clearly identify geographical boundaries for the organization.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) strives to use science-based research to both protect and enhance the management of natural resources. From this overarching goal, the USDA has a specific objective to protect the health and sustainability of forest and rangeland ecosystems. Based on this specific objective, an Advisory Board of natural resource scientists within the Quinney College of Natural Resources (QCNR) was awarded a National Institute of Food and Agricultural (NIFA) grant to train two PhD and two MS students. Their research would focus on managing for resilient forest ecosystem in the Intermountain West. With input from the advisory board and my PhD committee, my research focused on how to increase forest resilience at multiple scales. Locally, on the T.W. Daniel (TWD) Experimental Forest on the Logan Ranger District, three silvicultural trials were evaluated for resistance and resilience to the spruce beetle (partially funded by the TWD Forestry Fellowship). At the regional scale, a conceptual model was developed to classify forest communities based on structural features. The model was tested with data collected from 15 mountain ranges across the Intermountain West. Additionally, basic forest dynamics of limber pine (Pinus flexilis James.) were summarized across the Intermountain West. All three of these studies will aid in developing and implementing sound forest management practices to increase forest resilience.

Estudos sobre a dinâmica de comunidades florestais que avaliam a interação de fatores bióticos e abióticos num determinado intervalo de tempo, expresso pelas diferenças nos valores de mortalidade, recrutamento e crescimento dos indivíduos amostrados, podem fornecer informações sobre a estrutura, mudanças temporais e espaciais, além de fornecer informações sobre a capacidade de regeneração e a ocorrência de perturbações em determinado local. No entanto, pouco se conhece sobre a dinâmica das comunidades Florestais Paludosas, apesar da crescente preocupação na preservação dessas formações ciliares para garantir a manutenção dos recursos hídricos. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo re-amostrar uma comunidade Florestal Paludosa de maneira a descrever a dinâmica temporal, de curto prazo, que pode estar afetando a composição e estrutura local. De forma complementar, estudos sobre o crescimento de plântulas, sobre a fenologia e germinação das principais espécies dessa comunidade foram realizados de maneira a contribuir para que se chegue a um primeiro modelo de dinâmica para esse tipo de floresta. A Floresta Paludosa estudada está localizada na região centro-oeste do estado de São Paulo, próximo das coordenadas 22º 20S e 49º 01W e possui 2,3 ha. Está encravada entre áreas de Floresta Estacional Semidecídua, Campo úmido e Cerradão, no município de Bauru/SP. Os resultados indicam que a estrutura e composição da floresta estudada pouco se alteraram ao longo dos cinco anos e que a dinâmica desta floresta é lenta quando comparada com outras formações vegetais. A relação da ocorrência de espécies e variáveis ambientais foi pequena indicando que as espécies estudadas que ocorrem nestas florestas estão adaptadas as condições abióticas mesmo com algumas variações. O pico de dispersão das principais espécies dessa floresta foi na estação seca e o pico de germinação foi nos primeiros dois meses após serem semeadas, independente da umidade a que estavam submetidas. A rápida germinação e o estabelecimento das plântulas antes dos meses mais chuvosos aumentam as chances de sobrevivência dessas espécies, pois a maior mortalidade entre indivíduos adultos e jovens acontece na época chuvosa. As espécies típicas de formações permanentemente encharcadas Calophyllum brasiliense, Magnolia ovata, Protium spruceanum, Dendropanax cuneatus e Xylopia emarginata, são espécies responsáveis pela formação do dossel, pela manutenção da fisionomia florestal e pela manutenção da fauna dispersora de algumas Florestas Paludosas. Essas já são características suficientes para classificá-las como estruturadores. Podemos acrescentar a esse grupo as espécies Ardisia ambigua e Geonoma brevispatha que apesar de não estarem incluídas em todas as análises realizadas aqui por serem de sub-bosque e uma palmeira com crescimento muito diferente das demais espécies, são comuns a esta formação. Já as espécies Cedrela odorata, Rapanea gardneriana, Styrax pohlii e Tapirira guianensis foram consideradas espécies complementares. Os dois grupos de espécies devem estar presentes em projetos de restauração dessas florestas. As espécies estruturadoras aparentemente tem maior potencial de reconstrução e manutenção do dossel e conseqüentemente do habitat florestal à longo prazo, dando assim condições ao estabelecimento de outras espécies e formas de vida característicos da Floresta Paludosa. / Studies about forest communities dynamics that evaluate the interaction between biotic and abiotic factors during a specific period, expressed by the differences in mortality, recruitment and growth rates of sampled individuals, may provide information about community structure, spatial and temporal changes, in addition to information about forest regeneration capacity and the occurrence of disturbance. Despite the increasing concern about the preservation of these forest formations, in order to ensure the maintenance of water resources, the dynamic of Swampy Forests communities are not well understood. This research aimed to re-sample a swampy forest community, in order to describe its short-term dynamic, which may be affecting local structure and composition. We also carried out a study of seedling growth, phenology and germination of the main species of the community, in attempt to propose a pioneer dynamic model to this type of forest formation. The studied area is located on mid-west region of São Paulo state (22º 20S e 49º 01W), and it has 2.3 ha. The remnant is surrounded by Tropical Semideciduous Forest, wet grasslands and Cerradão, in Bauru city, São Paulo. The results indicate that forest structure and composition have not suffered much alteration along five years of observations, and also that this forest dynamics can be considered slow, when compared to other forest formations. There is a weak relationship between species occurrence and environmental variables, what indicates that the species occurring in the area are adapted to abiotic conditions, even though there are variations. The highest dispersion rate of the main species occurred during the dry season, and the highest germination rate occurred during the first two months after seeding, despite the humidity the seedlings were submitted to. Seedlings fast germination and establishment before the rainy months increased their chances of surviving, because higher mortality rates among young and adult individuals occur during rainy season. Calophyllum brasiliense, Magnolia ovata, Protium spruceanum, Dendropanax cuneatus and Xylopia emarginata, which are typical species of permanently wet forest formations, are responsible for canopy structuring, forest physiognomy maintenance, and maintenance of dispersal fauna of other swampy forest remnants. These characteristics are enough to classify them as framework species. Ardisia ambigua and Geonoma brevispatha can also be included in this classification, although their different growth rates in relation to the other species studied here, because they are understorey specie and a palm, respectively. For this reason, these species were not included in all the analysis we realized. Cedrela odorata, Rapanea gardneriana, Styrax pohlii and Tapirira guianensis were considered complementary species. The two groups of species should be present in these forest restoration projects. Framework species apparently has greater potential for reconstruction and maintenance of forest canopy, and therefore the long term persistence of forest habitats, what will provide conditions for the establishment of other species and life forms characteristic of swamp forests.

Estudos sobre a dinâmica de comunidades florestais que avaliam a interação de fatores bióticos e abióticos num determinado intervalo de tempo, expresso pelas diferenças nos valores de mortalidade, recrutamento e crescimento dos indivíduos amostrados, podem fornecer informações sobre a estrutura, mudanças temporais e espaciais, além de fornecer informações sobre a capacidade de regeneração e a ocorrência de perturbações em determinado local. No entanto, pouco se conhece sobre a dinâmica das comunidades Florestais Paludosas, apesar da crescente preocupação na preservação dessas formações ciliares para garantir a manutenção dos recursos hídricos. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo re-amostrar uma comunidade Florestal Paludosa de maneira a descrever a dinâmica temporal, de curto prazo, que pode estar afetando a composição e estrutura local. De forma complementar, estudos sobre o crescimento de plântulas, sobre a fenologia e germinação das principais espécies dessa comunidade foram realizados de maneira a contribuir para que se chegue a um primeiro modelo de dinâmica para esse tipo de floresta. A Floresta Paludosa estudada está localizada na região centro-oeste do estado de São Paulo, próximo das coordenadas 22º 20S e 49º 01W e possui 2,3 ha. Está encravada entre áreas de Floresta Estacional Semidecídua, Campo úmido e Cerradão, no município de Bauru/SP. Os resultados indicam que a estrutura e composição da floresta estudada pouco se alteraram ao longo dos cinco anos e que a dinâmica desta floresta é lenta quando comparada com outras formações vegetais. A relação da ocorrência de espécies e variáveis ambientais foi pequena indicando que as espécies estudadas que ocorrem nestas florestas estão adaptadas as condições abióticas mesmo com algumas variações. O pico de dispersão das principais espécies dessa floresta foi na estação seca e o pico de germinação foi nos primeiros dois meses após serem semeadas, independente da umidade a que estavam submetidas. A rápida germinação e o estabelecimento das plântulas antes dos meses mais chuvosos aumentam as chances de sobrevivência dessas espécies, pois a maior mortalidade entre indivíduos adultos e jovens acontece na época chuvosa. As espécies típicas de formações permanentemente encharcadas Calophyllum brasiliense, Magnolia ovata, Protium spruceanum, Dendropanax cuneatus e Xylopia emarginata, são espécies responsáveis pela formação do dossel, pela manutenção da fisionomia florestal e pela manutenção da fauna dispersora de algumas Florestas Paludosas. Essas já são características suficientes para classificá-las como estruturadores. Podemos acrescentar a esse grupo as espécies Ardisia ambigua e Geonoma brevispatha que apesar de não estarem incluídas em todas as análises realizadas aqui por serem de sub-bosque e uma palmeira com crescimento muito diferente das demais espécies, são comuns a esta formação. Já as espécies Cedrela odorata, Rapanea gardneriana, Styrax pohlii e Tapirira guianensis foram consideradas espécies complementares. Os dois grupos de espécies devem estar presentes em projetos de restauração dessas florestas. As espécies estruturadoras aparentemente tem maior potencial de reconstrução e manutenção do dossel e conseqüentemente do habitat florestal à longo prazo, dando assim condições ao estabelecimento de outras espécies e formas de vida característicos da Floresta Paludosa. / Studies about forest communities dynamics that evaluate the interaction between biotic and abiotic factors during a specific period, expressed by the differences in mortality, recruitment and growth rates of sampled individuals, may provide information about community structure, spatial and temporal changes, in addition to information about forest regeneration capacity and the occurrence of disturbance. Despite the increasing concern about the preservation of these forest formations, in order to ensure the maintenance of water resources, the dynamic of Swampy Forests communities are not well understood. This research aimed to re-sample a swampy forest community, in order to describe its short-term dynamic, which may be affecting local structure and composition. We also carried out a study of seedling growth, phenology and germination of the main species of the community, in attempt to propose a pioneer dynamic model to this type of forest formation. The studied area is located on mid-west region of São Paulo state (22º 20S e 49º 01W), and it has 2.3 ha. The remnant is surrounded by Tropical Semideciduous Forest, wet grasslands and Cerradão, in Bauru city, São Paulo. The results indicate that forest structure and composition have not suffered much alteration along five years of observations, and also that this forest dynamics can be considered slow, when compared to other forest formations. There is a weak relationship between species occurrence and environmental variables, what indicates that the species occurring in the area are adapted to abiotic conditions, even though there are variations. The highest dispersion rate of the main species occurred during the dry season, and the highest germination rate occurred during the first two months after seeding, despite the humidity the seedlings were submitted to. Seedlings fast germination and establishment before the rainy months increased their chances of surviving, because higher mortality rates among young and adult individuals occur during rainy season. Calophyllum brasiliense, Magnolia ovata, Protium spruceanum, Dendropanax cuneatus and Xylopia emarginata, which are typical species of permanently wet forest formations, are responsible for canopy structuring, forest physiognomy maintenance, and maintenance of dispersal fauna of other swampy forest remnants. These characteristics are enough to classify them as framework species. Ardisia ambigua and Geonoma brevispatha can also be included in this classification, although their different growth rates in relation to the other species studied here, because they are understorey specie and a palm, respectively. For this reason, these species were not included in all the analysis we realized. Cedrela odorata, Rapanea gardneriana, Styrax pohlii and Tapirira guianensis were considered complementary species. The two groups of species should be present in these forest restoration projects. Framework species apparently has greater potential for reconstruction and maintenance of forest canopy, and therefore the long term persistence of forest habitats, what will provide conditions for the establishment of other species and life forms characteristic of swamp forests.

No description available.