Expansion of CanopyForming Willows Over the Twent

Authors: Isla H MyersSmith David S Hik Catherine Kennedy Dorothy Cooley Jill F Johnstone Alice J Kenney Charles J Krebs

Publish Date: 2011/08/24

Volume: 40, Issue: 6, Pages: 610-

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Abstract

Canopyforming shrubs are reported to be increasing at sites around the circumpolar Arctic Our results indicate expansion in canopy cover and height of willows on Herschel Island located at 70° north on the western Arctic coast of the Yukon Territory We examined historic photographs repeated vegetation surveys and conducted monitoring of longterm plots and found evidence of increases of each of the dominant canopyforming willow species Salix richardsonii Salix glauca and Salix pulchra during the twentieth century A simple model of patch initiation indicates that the majority of willow patches for each of these species became established between 1910 and 1960 with stem ages and maximum growth rates indicating that some patches could have established as late as the 1980s Collectively these results suggest that willow species are increasing in canopy cover and height on Herschel Island We did not find evidence that expansion of willow patches is currently limited by herbivory disease or growing conditionsThe authors wish to thank CR Burn for reading and providing helpful comments on the manuscript D Reid S Gilbert and V Loewen for field logistical support and F Doyle for contributing repeat photographs The authors also wish to thank Qikiqtaruk–Herschel Island Territorial Park wardens and park management in particular Lee John Meyook and Richard Gordon the 2008 and 2009 ArcticWOLVES Herschel Island field crews M Grabowski C Henry and A Trimble for field assistance David Neufeld for providing old photographs and the Aurora Research Institute for theirr logistical support Support in the form of funds received from the Government of Canada International Polar Year Program NSERC the Polar Continental Shelf Program the Canon National Parks Science Scholars Program the Alberta Ingenuity W Garfield Weston Foundation the Northern Scientific Training Program INAC and the CBAR Grant Program the Canadian Circumpolar Institute and the Air North flight discounts is gratefully acknowledged The authors thank the Inuvialuit people for the opportunity to conduct research on their traditional lands

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