Abstracts - Posters
Impact of Climate Change on Productivity of the Boreal Forest in Quebec
Bernhard Denneler1, Yves Bergeron, Pierre Y. Bernier, Frank Berninger, Frédéric Raulier, Jianguo Huang, Arvin Beekharry and Marc-Antoine Guitard
1Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue
bernhard.denneler@uqat.ca
Climate warming is believed to directly affect the growth of trees and, hence, the productivity of the boreal forest in Quebec. We present a recently started NSERC strategic project that aims to model the effects of future climate changes on growth of four dominant boreal (jack pine, black spruce, trembling aspen, and white birch) and two sub-boreal (sugar maple and yellow birch) species of western Quebec to ultimately quantify the impacts on the annual allowable cut for a forest management unit in bitibi- Témiscamingue. Ecophysiological modeling as well as dendroclimatic analysis of forest stands along a latitudinal gradient, from the mixedwood forest to the conifer-dominated forest, will allow identification of the major climatic factors determining the diameter growth of the six species at different latitudes. The resulting climate - growth relationships will drive a series of models to render climate sensitive growth and yield tables and, based on climate simulations of the Regional Canadian Climate Model, to estimate future changes in annual allowable cut due to climate change. The results will allow forest managers to adapt currently used growth and yield tables as well as annual allowable cut to improve forest planning and silviculture of mixed stands and, finally, to assure sustainable forestry.
2005-04-06 |
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