UQAC

• At the current rate, this warming will most likely climb to 2°C before 2100, causing climate disruption around the world.
• This article is part of La Conversation Canada’s series The boreal forest: A thousand secrets, a thousand dangers La Conversation Canada invites you to take a virtual walk in the heart of the boreal forest.
• We are working within the research infrastructure Carbone boréal carbon offset program to try to answer this question.

From global to local

• This area is roughly the equivalent of half of the area of Québec’s Île d'Orléans, or a little less than a quarter of the island of Montréal.
• But what happens on a smaller scale, depending on local characteristics and the tree species actually present in the stands?
• These are the kinds of questions that motivated a team of UQAC researchers to launch the Carbone boréal project in 2008.

An original infrastructure

• This characteristic qualifies them as non-forests, according to the definition of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
• Because of a lack of seeds and degraded soil conditions, these non-forests do not re-densify over time.
• Carbone boréal is a research infrastructure that is unique in the world for its objectives, approach and funding.


After 15 years of research and over 1.5 million trees planted and verified, these three hypotheses have been proven and the plantings carried out are beginning to answer new research questions.

Questions and answers

• We also demonstrated the importance of site selection in optimizing carbon sequestration and developed new equations to assess tree biomass using non-destructive measurements.
• Further work is underway to quantify soil carbon loss from scarification and net additional carbon accumulation over 20 years.
• A key concern raised by climate models is how afforestation in the boreal zone actually affects the climate.
• Our team will tackle these questions in the winter of 2023.

• While it is true that individual trees are immobile, as a species they can actually move and migrate as well as birds do!
• We hope you have a pleasant — and informative — walk through the forest!
• This is what we will explore in this article, the first in our new summer series.
• As researchers in forest ecophysiology, we study basic tree physical functions and relate them to broader ecological dynamics.

The moving forest

• After some time, these seedlings will start producing new seeds and contribute to this slow geographical expansion.
• However, new seedlings require years, often decades to grow and produce seeds that can migrate further than their parents.

Fast changes, slow trees

• No natural warming event in the past has occurred at a comparable rate.
• Such rapid changes are putting great pressure on forest ecosystems, particularly by modifying habitat conditions.
• The migration speeds of the vast majority of tree species are slower than the shift of favourable habitats.

Helping trees migrate

• This motivates researchers and forest managers to consider new approaches to solving this problem, including assisted migration.
• Artificial seed transfer and planting can accelerate the natural migration process and help overcome geographical barriers, such as mountain ranges or large water surfaces.
• Since the latter presents higher ecological risks, it is generally only considered for the conservation of endangered species.

A Canadian example

• At the same time, researchers have found that areas near the northern limit of maple’s range are becoming increasingly suitable for this species.
• In this case, assisted migration could help northern forests adapt faster to new conditions, and provide valuable services such as maple syrup production.

Pioneers

• In 2019, the University of Québec in Chicoutimi (UQAC) established an experimental sugar maple plantation at the northern edge of its range, in the Saguenay region of Québec.
• In a few decades, excellent maple syrup may be produced here, in addition to all the valuable scientific data collected up to that point.

Trials on migration

• Here, the effects of factors such as microclimate, herbivore browsing and plant competition on tree establishment and growth can be tested.
• This type of experimental study provides valuable information on the characteristics that can help or hinder the success of assisted migration projects.
• Implementing scientific trials today can help us fully understand the dynamics and risks of assisted migration, so that we can make the best forest management choices for future years and generations.
• She has received funding from the Green Economy Plan of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks of the Government of Quebec.