Consortium on Regional Climatology and Adaptation to Climate Change
Program coordinator: Daniel Houle
Ouranos program coordination support: Anne Blondlot
Forest ecosystems cover nearly half the territory of Quebec – for a total of 757,900 km2 – and represent a crucial economic resource for the province. In various regions, the socioeconomic structure of a number of communities is heavily dependent on forest exploitation. Quebec’s forests also provide a vast and diversified habitat that is home to many plant and animal species.
Over the last century, the forest landscape has been altered significantly under the combined impacts of human activities, especially logging, and substantial climate warming. It is expected that anticipated climate changes will accelerate the disruption of the balance between climate and forest ecosystems even more than we have already witnessed. They will also bring changes to both the composition and productivity of forest stands. The frequency of extreme weather events (droughts and ice storms) and the dynamics of natural disturbances (forest fires and insects) will also be affected. These climate changes will also disrupt forestry operations.
Determining the climate change impacts on forests is a complex task because there are a multitude of factors influencing the forest dynamic that are likely to change in the future, and also because the area of the province covered by forest is so large.
In such a context, it is vital to draw upon the most current knowledge about the many impacts of climate change on forest ecosystems when making decisions about how forests are managed today.
At Ouranos, the scientific program on forest resources was developed in collaboration with a program committee composed of individuals from government departments, universities, research institutes and forestry industries concerned with the impacts of climate change on the forestry sector. The main objective of the program is to provide decision-makers with the tools they need in order to include climate change adaptation in the management plans for Quebec’s forests. The programme has the following specific objectives:
The Ouranos Forest Resource Program operates in close collaboration with the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Québec which, in response to Measure 24 of Quebec’s 2006-2012 Climate Change Action Plan, is responsible for determining the vulnerabilities of Quebec’s forests and forestry sector to climate change, and incorporating the expected impacts of these changes in forest management.
| Incidences du climat et des perturbations sur la structure et la dynamique de recrutement des peuplements de peuplier faux-tremble au Canada Principal Researcher: Yves Bergeron (Université du Québec à Montréal) 2009-2012 |
| Effets de la température et d’un stress hydrique sur la xylogenèse, la dynamique d’utilisation des glucides et la qualité du bois de l’épinette noire Principal Reseacher: Hubert Morin (Université du Québec à Chicoutimi) 2009-2012 |
| Assessment of the Vulnerability to Climate Change of three pilot Projects in Forest Ecosystem Management and Implications for the Development of an Adaptation Strategy for Forest Management in Quebec Principal Researcher: Yves Bergeron (Université du Québec à Montréal) 2009-2012 |
| Établissement de modèles de transfert de semences pour l’épinette noire, le pin gris et l’épinette blanche afin de reboiser aujourd’hui en pensant au climat de demain Principal Researcher: André Rainville (MRNF) 2009-2012 |
| Développement d’indicateurs hydroclimatiques : prédiction de la température et de l’humidité des sols forestiers et de leurs impacts potentiels sur la fertilité des sols Principal Researcher: Daniel Houle (MRNF) 2010-2012 |
| BOREALP- Influence des changements climatiques sur les populations marginales Principal Researcher: Yves Bergeron (Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue) 2010-2014 |
| Prise de décision collaborative et gestion des risques dans le contexte d'adaptation aux CC : deux études de cas dans les forêts modèles en Suède et au Québec Principal Researcher: Guy Chiasson (Université du Québec en Outaouais) 2011-2013 |
Première étude en vue de développer une méthodologie pour évaluer les vulnérabilités socio-économiques et la capacité d’adaptation des régions forestières du Québec aux CC |
Impacts et adaptation aux effets des changements climatiques sur l’adaptabilité de la forêt feuillue de l’Est du Canada Principal Researcher: Christian Messier (Université du Québec à Montréal) 2004-2006 |
Influence des changements climatiques sur le rendement de la forêt boréale mixte québécoise Principal Researcher: Yves Bergeron (Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue) 2005-2007 |
Climate Change Adaptation Strategies for Deciduous Forests in Eastern Canada Principal Researcher: Stephen Yamasaki (IQAFF) 2007-2008 |
Impact combiné des changements climatiques, des apports azotés atmosphériques et d'une augmentation de la température du sol sur la productivité de la forêt boréale |
Valorisation de l’Atlas de scénarios climatiques pour la forêt québécoise Report - Summary |
| Influence des changements climatiques sur le rendement de la forêt boréale mixte québécoise Principal Researcher: Yves Bergeron (Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue) 2007-2010 |
Ouranos
550 Sherbrooke West, West Tower, 19th floor, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 1B9, Canada
Tel.: (514) 282-6464 Fax: (514) 282-7131
E-mail: webmestre@ouranos.ca