Dr. Rebecca Tittler, Ph.D.

Academic Advisor and Research Administration Coordinator, Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability
Part-time Faculty, Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability
Part-time Faculty, Geography, Planning and Environment
Research Administration Coordinator, Loyola Sustainability Research Centre (LSRC)

Research areas: Sustainability, ecology, forest management

Contact information

Email:

rebecca.tittler@concordia.ca

Biography

Degrees

Ph.D. (Biology), Carleton University, Ottawa, ON. 2008. Thesis title: Questions of scale: source-sink dynamics, dispersal, and landscape effects on North American songbirds.

M.Sc. (Biology), University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB. 1998. Thesis title: Effects of residual tree retention on breeding songbirds in Alberta's boreal mixed-wood forest.

B.A. (Biology), Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA. 1995.

Professional Affiliations and Activities

Internal Associate Member of the Loyola Sustainability Research Centre

Fellow of the Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability

Research activities

General research interests

I have several general research interests. The first concerns the interactions between biodiversity, the structure of forested landscapes, and people, both in a larger forest context and in an urban and periurban context. I am especially interested in the nature, spatial scale, and mechanisms behind these interactions. I am also interested in the sustainable management of the boreal and mixedwood forest, particularly in issues related to zoning and in the interactions between natural and anthropogenic disturbances on landscape structure. Finally, I am interested in ecosystem services provided by trees in urban, periurban, and forested landscapes and in how the provision of these services can best be reconciled with biodiversity conservation.

Current research projects

Integrating carbon and natural disturbances into the calculation of the annual allowable cut in Quebec: How should climate change considerations affect forestry activities?

The effect of partial cuts on biodiversity and landscape structure at large spatial and temporal scales: searching for ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable solutions

The location of plantations and intensive management areas in the boreal mixedwood forest of Quebec: How to maximise the ecological, social, and economic benefits?

Reconciling habitat for biodiversity and provision of ecosystem services by trees in urban, periurban, and forest landscapes.

Teaching activities

Courses Taught

Loyola College for Diversity and Sustainability: LOYC 320 (Biodiversity on Earth)

Department of Biology: BIOL 350 (Ecology of Individuals)

Department of Geography, Planning and Environment: GEOG 371 (Landscape Ecology), GEOG 474 (Sustainable Forest Management), GEOG 674 (Forest Management), HENV 620 (Sustainable Resource Management)

Other curriculum development projects

Development of a massive open online course for the United Nations Environment Program entitled The Ecosystem Approach and Systems Thinking in collaboration with colleagues at the Loyola Sustainability Research Centre.

Publications

Peer-reviewed publications

Dupras,J., C. Patry, R. Tittler,A. Gonzalez, M. Alam, C. Messier. 2016. Management of vegetation under electric distribution lines will affect the supply of multiple ecosystem services. Land Use Policy 51: 66-75.

Tittler, R., E. Filotas, C. Messier. Maximizing conservation and production with intensive forest management: it's all about location. Environmental Management 56: 1104-1117.

Messier, C., K. Puettmann, R. Chazdon, K.P. Andersson, V.A. Angers, L. Brotons, E. Filotas, R. Tittler, L. Parrott, S.A. Levin. 2014. From management to stewardship: viewing forests as complex adaptive systems in an uncertain world. Conservation Letters 8:368-377.

Raulier, F., N. Dhital, P. Racine, R. Tittler, A. Fall. 2014. Increasing resilience of timber supply: How a variable buffer stock of timber can efficiently reduce exposure to shortfalls caused by wildfires. Forest Policy and Economics 46: 47-55.

Tittler, R., C. Messier, A. Fall. 2012. Concentrating anthropogenic disturbance to balance ecological and economic values: applications to forest management. Ecological Applications 22: 1268-1277.

Côté, P., C. Messier, R. Tittler, D. D. Kneeshaw, A. Fall, M.-J. Fortin. 2010. Comparing current-practices, fire-only,and four different functional zoning (TRIAD) landscape-scale management strategies in a large boreal forest landscape. Forest Ecology and Management 259: 418-427.

Tittler, R., M.-A. Villard, L. Fahrig. 2009. How far do songbirds disperse? Ecography 32: 1051-1061.

Messier, C., R. Tittler , D.D. Kneeshaw, N. Gélinas, A. Paquette, K. Berninger, H. Rheault, P. Meek, N. Beaulieu. 2009. TRIAD zoning in Quebec: experiences and results after five years. The Forestry Chronicle 85(6): 885-896.

Tittler, R., C. Messier. 2009. The Mauricie TRIAD Project: Ecological, Economic, and Social Considerations in Forest Management. Research Note to theSustainable Forest Management Network, Edmonton, AB.

Tittler, R., L. Fahrig, M.-A. Villard. 2006. Evidence of large-scale source-sink dynamics and long-distance dispersal among Wood Thrush populations. Ecology: 3029-3036.

Tittler, R., C, P.J. Burton. 2001.Hierarchical forest management planning and sustainable forest management in the boreal forest. The Forestry Chronicle 77(6): 998-1005.

Tittler, R., S.J. Hannon, M.R. Norton. 2001. Residual tree retention ameliorates negative effects of clearcutting for some boreal forest songbirds in the short term. Ecological Applications 11(6):1656-1666.

Tittler, R., S.J. Hannon. 2000. Nest predation in and adjacent to cutblocks with variable tree retention. Forest Ecology and Management 136(1-3): 147-157.

Lemon, R.E., J.B. Falls, T. Dickinson, S. Perreault, R. Tittler. 2000. Song clustering by meadowlarks: Is it related to repertoire size? Behaviour 54(1): 75-92.

Book Chapters and Reports

Tittler, R., C. Messier, and R. Goodman. Triad forest management: local fix or global solution? Chapter 3 in Laroque, G. (ed.): Ecological Forest Management Handbook, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida.

Messier, C., A. Paquette, S. Carpentier, T. Handa, E. Filotas, V. Angers, R. Tittler, and J. Dupras. La vraie valeur de nos arbres et boisés urbains et péri-urbains [The real value of our urban and peri-urban trees]. In Dupras, J. and J.P. Revéret (eds.): Nature et économie: un regard sur les écosystèmes du Québec [Nature and economy : a look at Quebec ecosystems], Presses de l'Université du Québec, Québec, QC.

Tittler, R., J. Kroese, A. Roux, and C. Messier. 2015. Plan directeur des forêts de la Ville de Mascouche – stratégie de conservation [Management plan for the forests of the City of Mascouche – conservation strategy]. Report prepared for the City of Mascouche, QC. 136 pp.

Tittler, R., M. Alam, V.A. Angers, S. Carpentier and C. Messier. 2014. Évaluer la valeur écologique, économique et sociale des boisées de la Ville de Mascouche [Evaluating the ecological, economic, and social value of the woods of the City of Mascouche]. Report prepared for the City of Mascouche, QC. 23 pp.

Angers, V.A., R. Tittler, S. Carpentier, M. Alam, and C. Messier. 2014. Plan directeur des forêts du Parc du Grand-Coteau [Management plan for the forests of the Parc du Grand-Coteau]. Report prepared for the City of Mascouche, QC. 172 pp.

Angers, V.A., R. Tittler and C. Messier. 2014. Le Parc du Grand Coteau : ses forêts et ses habitants [The Parc du Grand Coteau : its forest and inhabitants]. Report prepared for the City of Mascouche, QC. 82 pp.

Craven, D., V. Angers, E. Filotas, R. Tittler, M. Desrochers, P. James, and C. Messier. 2013. L’aménagement écosystémique des forêts privées du Centre-du-Québec dans le contexte des changements globaux [Ecosystem management of the private forests of central Quebec in the context of global change]. Report prepared for l’Agence Forestière des Bois-Francs, QC. 113pp.

Tittler, R. 2012. La superficie des unités territoriale d'analyse pour la Mauricie, Québec [The size of management units in the Mauricie, Quebec]. Report prepared for the Ministère des ressources naturelles et de la faune du Québec. 6 pp.

Roux, A. and R. Tittler. 2011. La forêt de Mascouche: l’état actuel et le développement historique [The forest of Mascouche: current state and historical development]. Report prepared for the City of Mascouche, QC. 15 pp.

McCavour, M.J., S. McNair, R. Tittler, D. Gervais, K. Solarik, D.F. Greene, C. Messier, E. Laurin, L. Vernier, I. Aubin, and B. Titus. 2011. The effect of forest harvest residue removal on biodiversity with special reference to northwest Ontario. Report prepared for Environment Canada and the Ministry of Natural Resources of Canada. 109 pp.

Tittler, R. 2010. Le feu et la coupe à mosaïque dans la sapinière de la Mauricie: Analyse dans le contexte de l’aménagement basé sur les perturbations naturelles [Fire and two-pass logging in the fir forest of the Mauricie : Analysis in the context of natural-disturbance-based management]. Report prepared for the Ministère de ressources naturelles et de la faune du Québec. 20 pp.

Tittler, R., N. Beaulieu, P. Boudreau, and D. Thibault. 2009. Portrait de la forêt préindustrielle, actuelle, analyse d'écart, et identification d'enjeux d'aménagement pour la forêt publique de la région administrative de la Mauricie [Portrait of the preindustrial and present-day forest, gap analysis, and identification of management issues for the public forest of the administrative region of the Mauricie]. Report prepared for the Conférence régionale des élus de la Mauricie, QC. 73 pp.

Tittler, R., N. Beaulieu, P. Boudreau, and D. Thibault. 2009. Synthèse du portrait de la forêt préindustrielle de la Mauricie [Synthesis of the portrait of the preindustrial forest of the Mauricie]. Report prepared for the Conférence régionale des élus de la Mauricie, QC. 20 pp.

Tittler, R., N. Beaulieu, P. Boudreau, and D. Thibault. 2009. Synthèse du portrait de la forêt actuelle de la Mauricie [Synthesis of the portrait of the present-day forest of the Mauricie]. Report prepared for the Conférence régionale des élus de la Mauricie, QC. 9 pp.

Tittler, R., N. Beaulieu, P. Boudreau, and D. Thibault. 2009. Synthèse de l'analyse d'écart entre la forêt préindustrielle et la forêt actuelle de la Mauricie [Synthesis of the gap analysis examining differences between the preindustrial and the present-day forest of the Mauricie]. Report prepared for the Conférence régionale des élus de la Mauricie, QC. 11 pp.

Beaulieu, N., R. Tittler, and P. Boudreau. 2009. Priorités d'actions et réponse aux enjeux jugés prioritaires pour la forêt Mauricienne [Management priorities for the forest of the Mauricie]. Report prepared for the Conférence régionale des élus de la Mauricie, QC. 11 pp.

Burton, P.J., W.L. Adamowicz, G.W. Weetman, C. Messier, and R. Tittler. 2003. The current state of boreal forestry and the drive for change. Chapitre 1 in Towards Sustainable Management of the Boreal Forest. P.J. Burton, C. Messier, D.W. Smith, and W.L. Adamowicz, eds. NRC-CNRC Research Press, Ottawa.

Tittler, R. 2003. Conservation and sustainable development in the international boreal forest: a comparative study of regulatory and fiscal policy in Canada, Scandinavia, Russia, and Alaska. . Report prepared for the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy.