Regions: South Slave Region
Tags: biology, climate change, prediction models, forestry, forest growth
| Principal Investigator: | Osawa, Akira (28) |
| Licence Number: | 12993 |
| Organization: | Ryukoku University |
| Licensed Year(s): |
1998
1997
|
| Issued: | Aug 03, 1998 |
| Project Team: | Nahoko Kurachi (Hiraoka Forest Inst.) and Shinya Sugita (University of Minnesota) |
Objective(s): The main objective of the proposed research is to reconstruct structure and functional quantities in northern Canada during the past two centuries. Development of an appropriate technique is also the purpose of the project. Rational is that if we could estimate accurately the changes of the ecosystems that have already occurred during the last few centuries, we are likely to be able to predict what would happen to the forests in the future under the warming climate condition of the region.
Project Description: The research team will consist of forest ecologists. We plan to study a few jack pine stands by taking stem samples for examination of forest growth that occurred in the past. A possible effect of climate change on the growth of forests are being examined. Several trees were cut and were analyzed last year. This summer several additional stems will be sampled. When a tree is cut, we try not to disturb the environment too much by selecting a tree at enough distances apart. Core samples of stems at lower part of the trees will also be collected. This collection is done by special drilling tool that allows us to take a sample by only making a small hole on a tree, minimizing the destructive effect of our activity on forests.
