By Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen, July 2, 2019
Postmedia’s series on the Science of Summer goes for a walk in the woods today as Tom Spears asks how a research forest in Petawawa is looking south for new ways to resist the heat.
Future forests could still look like today’s forests as the climate warms, but they may need a new set of genes.
Genetically, a pine tree in Ottawa is different from one in Pennsylvania. Each has adapted over time to its local climate.
And as the Ottawa Valley warms — especially as summers become hotter and drier — those southern pines may be the kind we need.
Then again, we might need to plant different tree species entirely. A third possibility: we can stay mainly with the trees we have now.
With all of these possible futures in the cards, Canada’s foresters are starting a long-term experiment at the Petawawa Research Forest, testing various methods of adapting to climate change before it’s too late.
https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/science-of-summer-learning-how-new-trees-may-help-an-old-forest