| The spruce beetle infestation has had variable impact on the understory spruce and deciduous species in the southwest Yukon. Possibilities for this variation include: light availability reaching the understory layer, forest succession, climatic stresses, and localized plot factors (aspect, elevation, slope position, site index, disturbance and severity, duration and the amount of elapsed time since the onset of the spruce beetle infestation). Revisiting and further elaboration (dividing plots into microsite characteristics such as aspect, site class, duration and severity of infestation, increasing the sample size, etc.) of this study is recommended. Recommendations for spruce beetle management strategies (no intervention and various levels of intervention) and monitoring and research in the southwest Yukon are provided. |
