Gene Conservation Plan for Native Trees of Alberta Second Edition
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Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, Government of Alberta October 2018 Gene Conservation Plan for Native Trees of Alberta: Second Edition ISBN 978-1-4601-4133-5 Forest Management Branch, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry 2018 Government of Alberta This publication is released under the Open Government Licence. Citation: Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. 2018. Gene Conservation Plan for Native Tress of Alberta, second edition. Forest Management Branch, Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. Edmonton, Alberta. 112 pp. + viii. Electronic version only available on Alberta Open Government Portal: https://open.alberta.ca/publications/9781460141335 For more information regarding this content visit: http://open.alberta.ca/documentation/pubguidedraft Table of Contents Preface ......................................................................................................................................................... v Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................... vi Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................. viii 1 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Tree gene conservation in Canada ..................................................................................................... 1 1.2 History of tree gene conservation in Alberta ....................................................................................... 2 1.3 Goal, objectives, and strategies .......................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Scope of the plan ................................................................................................................................. 4 2 Genetic Resources Conservation — Concepts and Principles........................................................... 5 2.1 Scientific concepts ............................................................................................................................... 5 2.2 Approaches to tree gene conservation ................................................................................................ 8 3 Gene Conservation for Native Trees of Alberta .................................................................................. 12 4 Species Characteristics and Conservation Needs ............................................................................. 14 5 Conservation Units for Planning and Assessment ............................................................................ 15 5.1 Alignment with Alberta ecological framework .................................................................................... 15 5.2 Objective and priorities for genetic conservation .............................................................................. 18 5.3 Gap analysis strategy ........................................................................................................................ 27 5.4 Gap analysis results .......................................................................................................................... 30 6 Implementation, Monitoring and Reporting ........................................................................................ 35 7 References .............................................................................................................................................. 36 Appendix 1. Descriptions of Native Alberta Tree Species .................................................................... 47 Alaska Birch (Betula neoalaskana Sarg.) Betulaceae ............................................................................. 48 Aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) Salicaceae .................................................................................... 50 Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea (L.) Mill.) Pinaceae .................................................................................... 52 Balsam Poplar (Populus balsamifera L.) Salicaceae .............................................................................. 54 Black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray) Salicaceae ......................................................... 56 Black Spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) Pinaceae ............................................................................ 58 Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana L.) Rosaceae........................................................................................ 60 Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii Parry ex Engelm.) Pinaceae .................................................... 62 Table of Contents | iii Green Ash (Fraxinus pennsylvanica Marsh.) Oleaceae .......................................................................... 64 Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana Lamb.) Pinaceae ........................................................................................ 66 Limber Pine (Pinus flexilis James) Pinaceae .......................................................................................... 68 Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm. ex Wats.) Pinaceae ............................................ 70 Manitoba Maple (Acer negundo L.) Aceraceae ....................................................................................... 72 Narrowleaf Cottonwood (Populus angustifolia James) Salicaceae ......................................................... 74 Paper Birch (Betula papyrifera Marshall) Betulaceae ............................................................................. 76 Peachleaf Willow (Salix amygdaloides Anderss.) Salicaceae ................................................................. 78 Pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica L.) Rosaceae ...................................................................................... 80 Plains Cottonwood (Populus deltoides ssp. monilifera (Ait.) Eckenw.) Salicaceae ................................ 82 Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. glauca (Mayr.) Franco) Pinaceae ................ 84 Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum Sarg.) Cupressaceae ................................................. 86 Scouler’s Willow (Salix scouleriana Barr. ex Hook.) Salicaceae ............................................................. 88 Subalpine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa Hook. Nutt.) Pinaceae .......................................................................... 90 Subalpine larch (Larix lyallii Parl.) Pinaceae ........................................................................................... 92 Tamarack (Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch) Pinaceae ............................................................................. 94 Water Birch (Betula occidentalis Hook.) Betulaceae ............................................................................... 96 Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg.) Pinaceae .............................................................. 98 Western Larch (Larix occidentalis Nutt.) Pinaceae ............................................................................... 100 Western Redcedar (Thuja plicata Donn ex D. Don) Cupressaceae...................................................... 102 Western White Pine (Pinus monticola Dougl. ex D. Don) Pinaceae ..................................................... 104 Western Yew (Taxus brevifolia Nutt.) Taxaceae ................................................................................... 106 White Spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) Pinaceae ....................................................................... 108 Whitebark Pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) Pinaceae ........................................................................... 110 Appendix 2. Information resources for distribution and abundance of tree species ...................... 112 iv Table of Contents | Preface This plan was initially developed by Forestry Division of Alberta Agriculture and Forestry and the Parks Division of Alberta Environment and Parks to fulfill a formal commitment to collaborate on provincial forest genetic resource conservation at the direction of the Alberta Forest Genetics Resource Council. Updates to this edition include changes to taxonomy, the protected areas landbase, species status updates, current information on genetics, and developments in provincial organizational structure, policy and implementation. The plan is a technical document intended to complement and align with existing policy, particularly the Forest Genetic Resource Management and Conservation Standards, and the Protected Areas Strategy. It provides a framework for tree gene conservation and an implementation plan for a provincial network of in situ reserves for 32 native Alberta tree species. Partners in implementation of the plan include Alberta Agriculture and Forestry and Alberta Environment and Parks, and forest companies involved in tree improvement activities with approved Controlled Parentage Programs. The provincial government holds the primary responsibility under the plan for establishment of in situ reserves for populations of non-commercial species, and commercial species not covered under commercial tree improvement programs. Companies involved in tree improvement have the primary responsibility to establish and monitor reserves for species and populations covered under approved Controlled Parentage Programs. The plan