Reference number : GC-2017-Q3-00869, amendment number : , agreement type : G, recipient legal name : Paquette, Alain (Université du Québec à Montréal), recipient country : CA, recipient province : nan, recipient city : Quebec|Québec, recipient postal code : nan, program name english : Strategic Projects - Group, program name french : Projets stratégiques - groupe, program purpose english : This research project is strongly grounded on the needs expressed by our partners and by forest managers for predictions on the impacts of climate change on forests, and mitigation strategies to limit the expected mortality due to water stress and its effect of the productivity of Canadian forests. _x000D_
Indeed, the research developed in this project will contribute significantly to mitigating the impacts of some of the most important threats to Canadian forests: decreasing diversity and maladaptation of tree species from failure to migrate, combined with increasing periods of drought due to changes in climate. _x000D_
The main scientific objective of the project is to evaluate the often cited but poorly demonstrated hypothesis that forest diversity will buffer the negative impacts of water stress on productivity, especially mortality. This is a highly strategic hypothesis given the expected changes, and uncertainty, in precipitation from projected climate change in Canada. It will also be easily translated into adaptation strategies for both managed natural forests and tree plantations._x000D_
Furthermore, we will evaluate the size of the impact that increased mortality caused by the maladaptation of trees following climate change will have on forest productivity, which is largely unknown at this time, and not accounted for at present by managers and governments._x000D_
To do so, we use both an experimental approach, benefiting from our network of tree diversity experiments (IDENT), as well as an observational approach using data from permanent forest plots. The experimental approach will make use of a stable isotope (deuterium) to trace water uptake in trees, as well as remote sensing (drones) of leaf temperatures (thermal cameras) and canopy organization in space, to track water use and evapo-transpiration, in highly controlled tree diversity experiments that include water stress treatments. Observational analyses will benefit from our network of large permanent plots in Québec, as well as the Global Forest Biodiversity initiative, encompassing over 1 million forest plots across all forested biomes of the world._x000D_
_x000D_
_x000D_, program purpose french : This research project is strongly grounded on the needs expressed by our partners and by forest managers for predictions on the impacts of climate change on forests, and mitigation strategies to limit the expected mortality due to water stress and its effect of the productivity of Canadian forests. _x000D_
Indeed, the research developed in this project will contribute significantly to mitigating the impacts of some of the most important threats to Canadian forests: decreasing diversity and maladaptation of tree species from failure to migrate, combined with increasing periods of drought due to changes in climate. _x000D_
The main scientific objective of the project is to evaluate the often cited but poorly demonstrated hypothesis that forest diversity will buffer the negative impacts of water stress on productivity, especially mortality. This is a highly strategic hypothesis given the expected changes, and uncertainty, in precipitation from projected climate change in Canada. It will also be easily translated into adaptation strategies for both managed natural forests and tree plantations._x000D_
Furthermore, we will evaluate the size of the impact that increased mortality caused by the maladaptation of trees following climate change will have on forest productivity, which is largely unknown at this time, and not accounted for at present by managers and governments._x000D_
To do so, we use both an experimental approach, benefiting from our network of tree diversity experiments (IDENT), as well as an observational approach using data from permanent forest plots. The experimental approach will make use of a stable isotope (deuterium) to trace water uptake in trees, as well as remote sensing (drones) of leaf temperatures (thermal cameras) and canopy organization in space, to track water use and evapo-transpiration, in highly controlled tree diversity experiments that include water stress treatments. Observational analyses will benefit from our network of large permanent plots in Québec, as well as the Global Forest Biodiversity initiative, encompassing over 1 million forest plots across all forested biomes of the world._x000D_
_x000D_
_x000D_, agreement title english : Climate change and water use: can increase diversity help protect forests?, agreement title french : Climate change and water use: can increase diversity help protect forests?, agreement number : STPGP, agreement value : 509000.0, agreement start date : 2017-10-18, agreement end date : nan, description english : nan, description french : nan, expected results english : nan, expected results french : nan, additional information english : Grant or Award spanning more than one fiscal year (2017-2018 to 2020-2021)., additional information french : Subvention ou bourse octroyée s'appliquant à plus d'un exercice financier (2017-2018 à 2020-2021)., owner organization : nserc-crsng, owner organization title : Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada | Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada