Progress Report for 1982: Pinus banksiana-dominated Permanent Plots in the Athabasca Oil Sands

Of the 16 permanent plots established in 1981, four of these, Nos. 1,6,11, and 13 were destroyed by fire shortly after they were surveyed. In 1982, four new plots were established to replace the burned ones. They were selected to represent the same impingement zones as the burned plots. Other criteria used in selecting the new stands were the same as used in the original establishment of the permanent plot array in 1981. The new stands are statistically and subjectively within the range of variation found in Pinus banksiana-dominated forest and woodland growing on light textured soils in the Athabasca Oil Sands area. Comparisons of 1981 and 1982 data reveal no obvious trends in relation to the impingement zones. Differences between the two years could in the main be attributed to the more favorable growing conditions in 1982. Stand No. 16 shows an anomalous bryophyte cover change which may be related to successional change and may point to an area of considerable significance in the interpretation of large or sudden changes in the flora of a community.