Boreal forest – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

The secret lives of lynx are revealed through audio recordings. (Shutterstock)

June 23, 2021

We eavesdropped on some Canadian lynx: What we heard was surprising

Rachael Derbyshire, Trent University; Allyson Menzies, University of Guelph, and Emily Studd, University of Alberta

Audio recordings of the secret lives of the Canada lynx demonstrate the value of technology in monitoring wildlife.

Wildfire smoke rises near Prince Albert, Sask., in May 2021, where a fast-moving wildfire led local officials to declare a state of emergency. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Kayle Neis

May 18, 2021

How wildfires affect climate change — and vice versa

Carly Phillips, University of Victoria

Recent wildfire seasons have been worsened by climate change. But wildfires also lead to additional climate warming when they release carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.

April 21, 2021

Fat-footed tyrannosaur parents couldn’t keep up with their skinnier offspring, fossil footprints reveal

Nathan James Enriquez, University of New England; Nicolas Campione, University of New England, and Phil Bell, University of New England

So how accurate is the T. rex’s running speed in that famous Jurassic Park jeep-chase scene?

A helicopter drops water on a forest fire in Alaska. Michael Risinger/U.S. Army National Guard

April 17, 2021

As extreme fires transform Alaska’s boreal forest, deciduous trees put a brake on carbon loss and how fast the forest burns

Jill Johnstone, University of Saskatchewan; Heather Dawn Alexander, Auburn University; Michelle C. Mack, Northern Arizona University, and Xanthe Walker, Northern Arizona University

A new study finds more deciduous trees like aspen are growing in after severe fires in the region, and that has some unexpected impacts.

The United Nation Environment Program is leading the Global Peatlands Initiative to save peatlands and help keep climate change in check. (Bin Xu)

April 8, 2021

How scientists are restoring boreal peatlands to help keep carbon in the ground

Bin Xu, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology

Peatlands store more soil carbon than any other terrestrial ecosystem, including tropical forests. But they have been heavily exploited and damaged. Now, scientists are working to restore them.

Red squirrels benefit from long-term social relationships with their neighbours — from a distance. (Shutterstock)

March 25, 2021

Red squirrels, socially distant by nature, teach us the value of good neighbours

Erin Siracusa, University of Exeter

Red squirrels are solitary by nature, but research has found that they benefit from familiarity with other squirrels.

Oilsands tailings are a mixture of water, suspended sand, clay and residual bitumen. (Dan Prat/Canva)

December 11, 2020

How plants can help clean up oilsands tailing ponds

Victoria Collins, Northern Alberta Institute of Technology

A new nature-based approach to managing oilsands tailings shows promise in the lab and may soon be tested in the field.

Ice floe drifting in Svalbard, Norway. Sven-Erik Arndt/Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

September 30, 2020

The Arctic hasn’t been this warm for 3 million years – and that foreshadows big changes for the rest of the planet

Julie Brigham-Grette, UMass Amherst and Steve Petsch, UMass Amherst

Extreme shrinkage of summer sea ice is just the latest evidence of rapid Arctic warming – and what happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay there.

A wildfire burns outside Fairbanks, Alaska, after a lightning strike. (Catherine Dieleman)

July 23, 2020

Heat waves, wildfire & permafrost thaw: The North’s climate change trifecta

Catherine Dieleman, University of Guelph

Arctic heat waves were once rare and unusual events. But as their intensity and frequency increase with climate change, their fallout could affect the north — and the planet — for decades to come.

Caribou face a range of threats in Canada. Shutterstock

October 14, 2019

Nature matters to Canadians, so conservation should be an election issue

Joseph Bennett, Carleton University and Steven J. Cooke, Carleton University

Canadians are more concerned about the environment than ever before. Here’s how to judge a party leader’s perspective on protecting biodiversity.

A wildfire moves towards the town of Anzac from Fort McMurray, Alta. in May 2016. Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP

August 29, 2019

More frequent fires could dramatically alter boreal forests and emit more carbon

Jill Johnstone, University of Saskatchewan; Carissa Brown, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and Xanthe Walker, Northern Arizona University

The boreal forest is being reshaped by wildfire. As climate change intensifies wildfire activity, the boreal forest will likely become a carbon source.

A forest in Canada burns during the country’s 2014 wildfires. Stefan Doerr

August 21, 2019

Increasing wildfires threaten to turn Northern Hemisphere’s boreal forests from vital carbon stores into climate heaters

Stefan H Doerr, Swansea University; Chuanyu Gao, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Cristina Santín, Swansea University

Boreal forests store one-third of all terrestrial carbon - but for how long?

A wildfire rips through the forest near Fort McMurray on Highway 63 in May 2016. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward)

July 4, 2019

How to fight wildfires and climate change with wetlands

Mike Waddington, McMaster University and Sophie Wilkinson, McMaster University

As unlikely as it may sound, a new approach for fighting the destruction of wildfires in Canada’s boreal region may lie in wetlands packed with soaking layers of peat and topped with living moss.

2016’s warm winter meant not enough snow for the start of the Iditarod sled dog race in Anchorage, so it was brought by train from 360 miles north. AP/Rachel D'Oro

October 22, 2018

In Alaska, everyone’s grappling with climate change

Nancy Fresco, University of Alaska Fairbanks

For everyone from traditional hunters to the military, the National Park Service to the oil industry, climate change is the new reality in Alaska. Government, residents and businesses are all trying to adapt.

A firefighter runs while trying to save a home near Lakeport, Calif. on July 31, 2018. AP Photo/Noah Berger, File

August 8, 2018

Fighting historic wildfires amid bad ideas and no funding

Edward Struzik, Queen's University, Ontario

Canada’s boreal region faces bigger, hotter and more frequent wildfires that are increasingly unpredictable, but it lacks an investment in fire science that could help keep communities safe.

Wildfires may grow more frequent and intense in North America amid climate change, like the Fort McMurray blazes in 2016, which were among the worst in Canadian history. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward)

July 18, 2017

How wildfires could radically change forests — and your life

Merritt Turetsky, University of Guelph

Wildfires amid climate change may spark a radical shift in forest habitats and wildlife. They aren’t just a destructive force of man and nature. They’re a key factor in forest ecosystem renewal.

Higher carbon dioxide levels will not result in faster-growing forests – just the opposite in many places, study finds. rosskevin756/flickr

July 21, 2016

More CO2 won’t help northern forests or stave off climate change

Noah Charney, University of Arizona

Study using tree ring data and climate projections shows that buildup of CO2 will not benefit most northern forests and that growth rates will actually fall.

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