400-year-old spruce tree a window into history of dwindling N.B. forests
There aren't many old growth areas left to study because of clear cutting, Mount A scientist says
Walking along a wooded trail in any corner of the province, you might see the odd tree that stretches higher than others, and has most of its branches near the top, typically spiralled and bent.
Those are hints you might be looking at an old growth tree, some of which have been standing in place for centuries and represent dwindling remains of the province's original forests.
But to be sure, you'd have to take a peak inside its trunk.
Chris Watson of Lorneville, a rural community in southwest Saint John, did just that after he recently saw what he believed to be a centuries-old red spruce near Spruce Lake. He drilled a small hole into the trunk by hand and took a pencil-sized sample to have it tested.
Ben Phillips, environmental lecturer at Mount Allison University, began a process known as dendochronology on the sample — a study that measures the age of trees by counting small lines otherwise known as tree rings.
"This tree, I can confidently say, is over 400 years old," Phillips, who runs the Acadian Forest Dendochronology Lab on campus, said about the sample he got from Watson. "It is probably in the top 10 oldest trees in the province that I know of."
It isn't the oldest tree in the province — Phillips once found one that he said is over 500 years old in Fundy Albert.
He said samples like this one are rich with data that is getting harder and harder to access due to clear cutting and increasing land development across the province.
As trees harden for winter, they create a dark line in their core known as late wood which most people refer to as tree rings.
Decoding what those rings say about its environment is a detailed process.
It begins with gluing pencil-shaped samples from the centre of trees onto wooden boards. The samples are sanded down to expose its tree rings so they can be meticulously counted one by one using a microscope.
"I can look back through the history of the trees and see back hundreds and hundreds of years and ecologically what happened and what maybe changed," he said.
On a graph on his computer, the results are placed onto a timeline which stretches over 400 years and shows the amount of growth seen in the tree, year over year.
"These little tiny pockets of old growth we have are very important because they're our only dataset or sample location that's left of the original forest," Phillips said.
Pointing to peaks on his computer screen, he can identify what might have been happening with the climate in the Lorneville area dating back to the 1600s. Valleys in the graph suggest there might have been an outbreak of an invasive worm species in the 1800s, which would have stunted tree growth.
He also knows that acid rain and pollution in the 1980s and 1990s would have impacted the province's sustainable tree growth — it's one example of how the data serves as a lesson for future biologists to better understand the challenges they might face in forests.
"Hopefully it will recover and start to grow more quickly because we've solved those issues," he said.
Old growth is also the preferred host of many species of animals and insects, Phillips said.
"Some of those species, we probably don't even know what they are at this point because we have no growth left to study."
What's at risk?
Ilana Urquhart, Nature Trust of New Brunswick conservation co-ordinator, said much of the province's old growth has been destroyed due to forestry practices and clear cutting.
"When you clear cut, you're removing everything that was there and everything needs to start fresh," the expert on species at risk said. "It takes a really long time for a forest to really stabilize and become an ecological hotspot."
She said even though there is a focus on re-planting in the forestry industry, it takes decades for trees to mature, and provide the benefits they once did.
Urquhart said people in New Brunswick have a connection to nature and its ability to help them escape, compared to people in other cities in Canada who have never had access to old forests.
"I find that New Brunswick is one of those places where we have that opportunity a lot more than others and I think some people take it for granted," she said. "It's just so important to be able to … experience that."
The spruce that Watson discovered currently stands in a wooded area where Lorneville residents hike and drive ATV trails.
Saint John city council recently approved a highly debated expansion of an industrial park in the wooded area.
"From a community standpoint, I think it's special because they recognize that that habitat is unique and that there's a special scenario surrounding it," Urquhart said about the old tree.
She said it is likely home to more old growth.
"When we find something that is old and has basically stood against time for so long, it's important to protect those things. [It's] a testament to the ability of our forest to survive and thrive even in some of the most difficult conditions."
Both Phillips and Urquhart want to see legislation put in place in New Brunswick that would protect areas with old growth, specifically.
In 2022, the Nova Scotia government created its own Old Growth Forest Policy which aims to preserve old trees on both Crown and private land.
According to the policy, forests with at least 20 per cent of the area include old growth trees are protected. What is considered old growth varies by tree type, but the minimum age is set at 100 years old.
The policy also has the goal of creating opportunities for people to use the protected areas recreationally and learn why those areas matter.
"It would be nice if our province … were able to see that value and understand that it's something that we should be protecting even though it might not necessarily have monetary value associated with it," Urquhart said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
