Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue
Ph.D. candidate
Supervisor: Vincent Poirier
Annie DesRochers, UQAT
Start: 2021-01-11
End: 2025-08-08

Project

Use of soil amendments to restore productivity to poorly regenerated sites after logging in mixed boreal forests
One of the major challenges in silviculture is to ensure the productivity of managed forests. Boreal forest sites are often deficient in nutrients essential for tree growth (nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P)) and may not regenerate well after clear cutting. The aims of my research revolve around the use of soil amendments, i.e. biochar, wood ash and manure, individually and in combination, to restore or improve forest productivity of poorly regenerated sites after logging, and to help establish white spruce Picea glauca (Moench) Voss) plantations in a context of significant competition by understory vegetation. My thesis evaluates the effect of organic amendments on soil properties, tree growth, leaf nutrition, and competing vegetation using taxonomic and functional approaches.

Keywords

amendement, sol minéral, croissance, nutrition foliaire, végétation de sous-bois, indice de diversité, Trait fonctionnel, traits agrégés, épinette blanche, forêt boréale mixte

Publications

1- Soil amendments alter understory vegetation composition and functional diversity in poorly regenerated logging sites in Quebec, Canada
Merzouki, Hiba, Vincent Poirier, Alison Munson, Annie DesRochers
2025 Forest Ecology and Management

2- Impact of single and combined soil amendments on the growth and foliar nutrients of white spruce (Picea glauca) on a poorly regenerated logged site
Merzouki, Hiba, Vincent Poirier, Alison Munson, David Paré, Annie DesRochers
2025 Canadian Journal of Forest Research