Current
Research Projects

Silva21

Silva21 is a forestry research program aimed at providing data, tools and practical solutions to improve the resilience of Canadian forests to various disturbances and sources of stress.

The program stems from a $5.5 million, 5-year NSERC Alliance grant, and includes more than 38 research projects, 50 collaborators, including 5 universities.

The projects are grouped into three main areas:

Observe: Collect data using innovative tools to assess tree growth and vigor, thereby enabling more flexible and adaptive management strategies in the event of climatic disturbances and stresses.
Anticipate: Improve growth models and prediction methods to take into account climate reality and synthesize the multiple risks of disturbance that forests face.
Adapt : Test innovative silvicultural treatments and forest management strategies adapted to the new socio-environmental reality, thereby working to ensure the sustainability of fibre supply across Canada.

Principal investigators:
Alexis Achim,
Nicholas Coops (UBC)

Students:

Catherine Beaulieu
João Paulo Czarnecki de Liz
Sébastien Dumont
Helin Dura
Florence Leduc

> silva21.com

TransX

TransX is a network of plantations spanning Canada and the United States, composed of natural and improved genotypes of key species from northeastern North America. The project's primary objective is to study the response of trees to future warming, focusing on leaf phenology, growth, health, and the survival of species and populations.

The objectives of this project are as follows:

To assess the warming tolerance of the main species and populations of natural broadleaf and coniferous trees in order to inform adaptive silviculture strategies.
Assessing the cold tolerance of southern populations to inform assisted migration and changes in seed transfer areas.
Quantify the genetic control of growth and survival across the entire temperature range for well-known enhanced offspring.

Principal Investigator:
Loïc D'Orangeville

Students:

Sébastien Dumont
Marie-Pier Perron
Philippe Riel

> Learn more

Automated route extraction and integration
through forest management units

Updating forest road networks in Ontario using airborne laser sensing (ALS) data combined with artificial intelligence algorithms.

This method allows us to accurately position roads and assess their conditions, which informs us about the possible use of the road network and its environmental impact.

Principal Investigator:
Alexis Achim

Partners:

Ontario MNR
Forsite Consultants
Queen's University

Highly qualified personnel:

Hamid Ghanbari

Pyrosylviculture: Modeling, implementation and monitoring of treatments for adaptive forest management in the face of fires

This project aims to develop and test new forest management practices known as "pyrosylviculture", i.e. a combination of silvicultural treatments, controlled burning and indigenous knowledge, with the objective of creating more fire-resistant landscapes while maintaining biodiversity and cultural values.

Main objectives:

Evaluate the effect of different pyrosilvicultural interventions and fuel management strategies on fiber recovery, fuel parameters and forest profitability, taking into account fire dynamics and forest resilience.
Ensure the implementation of innovative pyrosilvicultural treatments in demonstration sites, by analyzing their impacts before and after treatment on fuels, species composition, sawn timber value and stand resilience.
To carry out long-term monitoring of stand structure and fuel evolution, integrating the effects of prescribed burns, past fires and adaptive practices, in order to better understand and predict forest resilience to fires.

Principal Investigator:
Alexis Achim

Collaborators:

Nicholas Coops, UBC
Dominic Roeser, UBC

Partners:

Nazko First Nation
Green First

Students:

Vicky Martin
Robin Tremblay
Sadia Afrin

Research Chair in Maple Syrup Production and Maple Stands Management

Maple syrup production, a cultural and economic pillar of Eastern Canada, generates over $682 million in GDP, thousands of jobs, and exports to 71 countries. Quebec alone accounts for 73% of global production. However, the industry faces significant challenges: climate change disrupting sap flow, the health of maple groves weakened by climate disturbances, diseases, insects and invasive species, as well as difficulties in reconciling maple syrup production, forestry, and the maintenance of ecosystem services.

The project aims to develop knowledge and tools to ensure the sustainability of maple syrup production in this context. It will analyze the effects of climate change and forestry practices on production, identify the most promising maple stands and their stressors, and propose integrated management systems. Tools for near real-time monitoring of maple stand health will also be developed.

By bringing together maple syrup producers, foresters, researchers, technology companies, and Indigenous communities, the project will encourage sustainable and equitable management of maple groves. It will also provide a stimulating training environment for many students, fostering innovation and the growth of a competitive, sustainable, and resilient maple syrup industry.

Principal Investigator:
Guillaume Moreau

Main partners:

Quebec maple syrup producers
H2O Innovation
Solifor
MRNF
NRCan

Students:

Martin Pelletier
Mathieu Leblanc
Jeremy Mainville-Gamache

> Learn more

Impact of climate stress events on the vulnerability of boreal and temperate species in North America

As forests undergo unprecedented alterations caused by global changes, the assumption of stable environmental niches for tree species is being challenged. Consequently, a fundamental principle of forestry—that past successes inform future practices—is no longer always valid. Foresters thus face significant uncertainties when prescribing treatments to provide goods and services essential to our society. To address this reality, assessing the vulnerability of forest resources must be central to our forestry decisions. Despite this, our understanding of the relationships between tree species growth and climatic conditions remains limited, particularly the impact of various climatic stresses on large-scale forest growth dynamics.

The overall objective of this research project is to characterize the vulnerability of key Canadian forest species to specific climate stress events, such as droughts, early frosts, late frosts, and early thaws. To achieve this, I will use high-resolution climate data to incorporate climate stresses into conventional forest growth models, with the aim of refining our predictions of future growth and adapting silvicultural decisions accordingly. This project also aims to identify the key attributes of forest stands that confer strong resistance and resilience to multiple climate stresses. Ultimately, the project should lead to the identification of silvicultural treatments and adaptive strategies to reduce the vulnerability of forest resources in North America.

Principal Investigator:
Guillaume Moreau

Main partner:

MRNF

Students:

Marie-Anne Michaud-Valcourt
Valentin Beaufils
Philippe Riel

Current Research Projects

Pyrosylviculture: Modeling, implementation and monitoring of treatments for adaptive forest management in the face of fires

Current
Research Projects