Ecological factors shaping postfire resilience in mature black spruce forests of eastern North America

This dataset encompasses 536 entries, each representing a 400 m² stand of post-fire regeneration of black spruce (Picea mariana) in the eastern North American boreal zone, affected by 21 fires that occurred between 1995 and 2016. It focuses on the post-fire recovery and resilience of mature stand of black spruce (Picea mariana), a species adapted to stand-replacing fires. The dataset includes unique identifiers, geographical locations, fire characteristics, and metrics for both pre-fire and post-fire vegetation, particularly post-fire seedling density (seedlings/ha).
The dataset allows for exploring key ecological determinants of post-fire regeneration, including seed bank conditions, fire severity, and seedbed condition. This comprehensive network facilitates an unprecedented spatial and temporal analysis of black spruce regeneration. Legal and ethical considerations involve ensuring proper data handling.
Research utilizing this dataset can inform forest management strategies and ecolo..., The studied fires were selected because: (i) they were located within the boreal closed crown forest in the province of Quebec; (ii) they were composed of mature (60 years) BS-dominated pre-fire stands (>50% of the basal area occupied by BS); (iii) they had burned a minimum of three years before field surveys to allow time for post-fire seedling establishment; (iv) they had burned after 1984 (v) they had not been salvage logged; and (vi) they were accessible by road. Across all selected fires, 536 circular plots of 400 m² (r = 11.28 m) were sampled during the summers of 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020 following a systematic sampling design, with at least three plots distributed along the lower, middle, and upper portions of each slope and spaced at least 100 meters apart. Depending on the fire size and accessibility, between 4 and 152 plots were established by fire. The percentage cover of each understory plant species in each plot was assessed using the point-intercept method. This invol..., # Ecological factors shaping postfire resilience in mature black spruce forest in eastern North America

Fortin Stelsa^1^ and Boucher Yan^2^

^^1^^Corresponding author. Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue and Université du Québec à Chicoutimi , email : [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail])

^^2^^Data manager. Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, email : [[e-mail]](mailto:[e-mail])

**DATA SPATIAL COPE**

The study area is located in the boreal forest of eastern North America between latitudes 49°70’N-51°90’N and longitudes 73°58’W–67°68’W. The 21 fires studied had burned between 1995 and 2016 and are located in the bioclimatic domain of black spruce-feather moss of Quebec, eastern Canada. This bioclimatic domain is characterized by dominance of BS with JP, balsam fir (Abies balsamea [L.] Mill.), paper birch, and trembling aspen as companion species, depending on site conditions and successional stage. The study area is mostly covered by glacial deposits, partic...,