Characterizing Chaos: Spatial and Temporal Variability In the Canadian Boreal Shield.

The Canadian Boreal Shield area surrounding Flin Flon, Manitoba and Creighton, Saskatchewan has experienced forest vegetation loss due to multiple disturbances (anthropogenic and otherwise) including forest fire; tree harvesting for fuel and lumber; and metal and acid deposition from smelter emissions. Attempts to re-vegetate the area have met with mixed success, even when lime treatments were applied. The inconsistent natural and assisted plant regeneration at both untreated and treated areas across the Flin Flon-Creighton landscape appears to be attributable to variations in soil organic matter (SOM) quality and quantity. The challenge comes in characterizing this variability in a complex landscape that includes a mosaic of organic (Histosols) and mineral (Inceptisols) soils with sporadic evidence of substantial soil redistribution and an altered hydrologic regime due to various historical disturbances. Organic matter and nutrient characteristics of this complex landscape will be described, including discussion of challenges associated with design, methodologies, and statistical analyses.