NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Gwich'in Settlement Area

Tags: climatology, biology, climate change, prediction models, tree growth, treeline

Objective(s): The project will examine past tree growth patterns at the northern treeline in Western Canada as a baseline to predict future growth responses to climate change. Additionally, the researchers will examine tree regeneration and plant associations at the northern treeline.

Project Description: The project will examine past tree growth patterns at the northern treeline in Western Canada as a baseline to predict future growth responses to climate change. Additionally, the researchers will examine tree regeneration and plant associations at the northern treeline. Annual tree rings represent a growth response to local climate. Wide growth rings represent good growing conditions, and narrow rings represent poor growing conditions. By comparing annual growth rings to annual weather, the researchers can better understand how trees respond to climate, which will help them predict responses to future climate change. To measure annual growth rings, they need to take small cores from about 20 trees at each study site (they plan to sample about 25-30 sites). Other studies have shown that the cores do not cause any significant damage to the trees. The cores will be taken back to be measured and analyzed at the Tree Ring Lab at the University of Northern British Columbia. In addition, the researchers plan to examine tree regeneration for each sample site by measuring the numbers and locations of seedlings, which will help them to understand whether the treeline may be expanding or not. Finally, they plan to set up a series of data loggers to measure temperature and rainfall during the summer of 2009, which will help them to understand how much weather varies across the sampling area from the Richardson Mountains to the Mackenzie River. The research team plans to conduct outreach and extension meetings as information becomes available. The principal investigator (Scott Green) traveled to the region in late March 2009. During this trip he met with local community organizations and updated key contacts about research progress and plans for 2009. Once project activities commence, the research team will be happy to provide opportunities for field trips for northern residents and students, to discuss questions about climate change, changing landscapes, ecosystems responses to changing landscapes, etc. Additionally, the research team is happy to consider presentations that may be of value and use in the northern communities (e.g., town hall meetings, school classroom talks). The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from June 08 to October 02, 2009, along the Dempster Highway between Wright Pass and the Mackenzie River.