Boreal forest may find refuge in Québec
The great boreal forest of northern Canada is likely to suffer due to water stress in the west, but in Québec, higher rainfall levels and temperatures will help the forest thrive
Warming climate may threaten the western forest, but he eastern boreal could be safe
Many forest scientists are concerned about Canada's boreal forest in the warmer climate we anticipate in the future. Warmer temperatures can stimulate tree growth, but only if there is enough precipitation. A warmer forest may also be a drier one, which will not grow as well, and could also be more prone to unsustainable levels of forest fire.
But according to new research by Dr. Loïc D'Orangeville, from the Centre d'étude de la forêt at the Université du Québec à Montréal, and Indiana University, while that may be true of the Western Boreal forest, the much wetter Québec forest might survive, and even thrive.
Dr. D'Orangeville studied a huge record of tree-core samples, and found that in unusually warm years the Québec forest, particularly in the Northern areas, did well, and didn't experience water stress. This suggests that norhthern Québec could be a refuge for the boreal forest, at least for most of this century.
Related Links
- Paper in Science
- Université du Québec à Montréal release (in French)
- Harvard University release
- CBC News story