Mixedwood Plains Ecozone Evidence for Key Findings Summary
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Mixedwood Plains Ecozone+ Evidence for key findings summary Canadian biodiversity: Ecosystem Status and Trends 2010 Evidence for Key Findings Summary Report No. 7 Published by the Canadian Councils of Resource Ministers Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication Mixedwood Plains Ecozone+ evidence for key findings summary. Issued also in French under title: Sommaire des éléments probants relativement aux constatations clés pour l’écozone+ des plaines à forêts mixtes. Electronic monograph in PDF format. ISBN 978-1-100-25867-6 Cat. no.: En14-43/2016E-PDF Information contained in this publication or product may be reproduced, in part or in whole, and by any means, for personal or public non-commercial purposes, without charge or further permission, unless otherwise specified. You are asked to: Exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced; Indicate both the complete title of the materials reproduced, as well as the author organization; and Indicate that the reproduction is a copy of an official work that is published by the Government of Canada and that the reproduction has not been produced in affiliation with or with the endorsement of the Government of Canada. Commercial reproduction and distribution is prohibited except with written permission from the author. For more information, please contact Environment Canada’s Inquiry Centre at 1-800-668-6767 (in Canada only) or 819-997-2800 or email to [email protected]. Cover photo: Maple-oak forest, Skunk’s Misery, © Allen Woodliffe, OMNR. Photo may not be reproduced without the permission of the rights holder. This report should be cited as: ESTR Secretariat. 2016. Mixedwood Plains Ecozone+ evidence for key finding summary. Canadian biodiversity: ecosystem status and trends 2010, Evidence for Key Findings Summary Report No. 7. Canadian Councils of Resource Ministers. Ottawa, ON. x + 145 p. http://www.biodivcanada.ca/default.asp?lang=En&n=137E1147-1 © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2016 Aussi disponible en français i PREFACE The Canadian Councils of Resource Ministers developed a Biodiversity Outcomes Framework1 in 2006 to focus conservation and restoration actions under the Canadian Biodiversity Strategy.2 Canadian Biodiversity: Ecosystem Status and Trends 20103 was the first report under this framework. It presents 22 key findings that emerged from synthesis and analysis of background technical reports prepared on the status and trends for many cross-cutting national themes (the Technical Thematic Report Series) and for individual terrestrial and marine ecozones+ of Canada (the Ecozone+ Status and Trends Assessment Report Series). More than 500 experts participated in data analysis, writing, and review of these foundation documents. Summary reports were also prepared for each terrestrial ecozone+ to present the ecozone+-specific evidence related to each of the 22 national key findings (the Evidence for Key Findings Summary Report Series). Together, the full complement of these products constitutes the 2010 Ecosystem Status and Trends Report (ESTR). This report, Mixedwood Plains Ecozone+ Evidence for Key Findings Summary, presents evidence from the Mixedwood Plains Ecozone+ related to the 22 national key findings and highlights important trends specific to this ecozone+. It is based on the Mixedwood Plains Ecozone+ Status and Trends Assessment—with an emphasis on Ontario,4 as well as further synthesis done to specifically address the national key findings. Additional information was provided by the Quebec Region of Environment Canada. The report is not a comprehensive assessment of all ecosystem-related information. The level of detail presented on each key finding varies and important issues or datasets may have been missed. As in all ESTR products, the time frames over which trends are assessed vary—both because time frames that are meaningful for these diverse aspects of ecosystems vary and because the assessment is based on the best available information, which is over a range of time periods. Many experts from a broad range of disciplines, including university researchers, government scientists, and renewable resource and wildlife managers, contributed to the technical report as authors and reviewers (see Acknowledgements section). This key finding summary report was also reviewed by federal and territorial government scientists and managers and, in part or as a whole, by several university researchers. ii Ecological classification system – ecozones+ A slightly modified version of the Terrestrial Ecozones of Canada, described in the National Ecological Framework for Canada,5 provided the ecosystem-based units for all reports related to this project. Modifications from the original framework include: adjustments to terrestrial boundaries to reflect improvements from ground-truthing exercises; the combination of three Arctic ecozones into one; the use of two ecoprovinces – Western Interior Basin and Newfoundland Boreal; the addition of nine marine ecosystem-based units; and, the addition of the Great Lakes as a unit. This modified classification system is referred to as “ecozones+” throughout these reports to avoid confusion with the more familiar “ecozones” of the original framework.6 The boundary for the Mixedwood Plains is the same in both frameworks. iii Acknowledgements Content for this report for the Ontario portion of the ecozone+ is drawn heavily from Mixedwood Plains Ecozone+ Status and Trends Assessment—with an emphasis on Ontario.4 Specialists from the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et Faune du Québec as well as Environment Canada and Agricultural and Agri-Food Canada contributed to several key findings as both authors and reviewers extending the coverage beyond Ontario for those key findings. Reviews of versions of this summary report were provided by scientists and resource managers from relevant provincial and federal government agencies. Mixedwood Plains Ecozone+ Evidence for Key Findings Summary acknowledgements Forests: K. Taylor and L. Duchesne Grasslands: K. Taylor and W. Bakowsky Wetlands: K. Taylor Change in extent of wetlands along the St. Lawrence River: T. Hayes Lakes and rivers: W. Dunlop Coastal: K. Taylor and W. Bakowsky Ice across biomes: K. Taylor and J. Casselman Protected areas: J. Thompson Stewardship: A. Handyside Ecosystem conversion: K. Taylor and B. Pond Invasive non-native species: K. Taylor Contaminants: S. Bhavsar Nutrient loading and algal blooms: S. Bhavsar Acid Deposition: K. Taylor Climate change: K. Taylor Ecosystem services: A. Handyside Intact landscapes and waterscapes: K. Taylor Agricultural landscapes as habitat: S. Javorek, M. Grant and K. Taylor Species of special economic, cultural or ecological interest: K. Taylor Primary productivity: K. Taylor Natural disturbance: K. Taylor and L. Duchesne Food webs and population cycles: K. Taylor Biodiversity monitoring, research, information management, and reporting: K. Taylor Rapid change and thresholds: K. Taylor Human well-being and biodiversity: K. Taylor Authors of Thematic Technical Reports from which material is drawn Canadian climate trends, 1950-2007: X. Zhang, R. Brown, L. Vincent, W. Skinner, Y. Feng, E.Mekis Large-scale climate oscillations influencing Canada, 1900-2008: B. Bonsal and A. Shabbar Monitoring biodiversity remotely: a selection of trends measured from satellite observations of Canada: F. Ahern, J. Frisk, R. Latifovic and D. Pouliot Biodiversity in Canadian lakes and rivers: W.A. Monk and D.J. Baird Wildlife pathogens and diseases in Canada: F.A. Leighton Trends in wildlife habitat capacity on agricultural land in Canada, 1986-2006: S.K. Javorek, M.C.Grant Trends in Canadian shorebirds: C. Gratto-Trevor, R.I.G. Morrison, B. Collins, J. Rausch, V.Johnston Landbird trends in Canada, 1968-2006: C. Downes, P. Blancher and B. Collins iv Trends in breeding waterfowl in Canada: M. Fast, B. Collins and M. Gendron Review conducted by scientists and renewable resource and wildlife managers from provincial and federal government agencies through a review process administered by the ESTR Steering Committee. Additional reviews of specific sections were conducted by external experts in their field of expertise. Direction provided by the ESTR Steering Committee composed of representatives of federal, provincial and territorial agencies. Editing, synthesis, technical contributions, maps and graphics, and report production by the ESTR Secretariat of Environment Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Key Finding Summary Reviewers: H. Anderson, W. Bakowski, T. Bellhouse, Y. Boucher, J. Brimsmead, S. Brinker, J. Casselman, S. Columbo, A. Corlett, B. Dalton, A. Dextrase, C. Downes, J. Dungavell, K. Elliot, K. Ferguson, R. Gagnon, J. Gleeson, B. Graham, P. Grondin, A. Handyside, T. Haxton, C.-L. Hazard, T. Hayes, B. Jobin, J. Jutras, E. Kennedy, J. Lebreque, P. Lafleur, T. Leighton, D. LeMoire, P. Lilley, M. McMurtry, K. Milian, E. Miller, A. Norman, B. Naylor, G. Nielson, M. Oldham, D. Pare, R. Pineo, B. Pond, B. Potter, G. Pulham, D. Puric-Mladenovic, D. Rodrique, B. Rose, P. Smith, L. Stanfield, S. Strobl, D. Sutherland, S. Thompson, M. Twiss, S. Voros, S. Watmough, W. Wistowsky, E. Wright Mixedwood Plains Ecozone+ Status and Trends Assessment—with an emphasis on Ontario acknowledgements Lead authors: D. Krahn and K. Taylor Contributing authors: A. Todd – Ontario Ministry of Environment (OMOE), A. Crook – Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) , A. Woodliffe (OMNR), A. MacIntosh (OMNR), A. Shabbar