Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

To extend the worldwide task of reduction in GHG emissions, the Kyoto Protocol (KP) allow reforestation and afforestation activities to be accounted for carbon (C) sequestration. While black spruce is generally well adapted to regenerate after wildfire, poor regeneration can sometimes occur, resulting in the irreversible conversion of closed-crown black spruce feathermoss stands to open black spruce-lichen woodlands (OWs). The large amount of available OWs within the closed-crown boreal forest in the province of Québec - and probably further more across the boreal forest of Canada - represents a significant theoretical potential for C sequestration and offset of industrial GHG emissions. However, several uncertainties associated to this potential need to be addressed to minimize the range of uncertainties and maximize the mitigation benefits of an OW afforestation project. The research proposal addresses these important uncertainties, in two distinct research axes: 1) The support capacity of OWs to afforestation, in terms of both wood yield and soil fertility; 2) The permanence of C stocks in afforested OWs, particularly the integration of wood products and bioenergy, and the impact of natural disturbances. There are at least 3 indicators that illustrate the value of expected results and the industrial relevance of the proposed research. First, the ultimate outcome of the results will be to help the main industrial partner of the team to comply to its national obligations under the Canadian Regulatory framework for air emissions (RFAE), through the system of "domestic offset credits". Also, the boreal OW afforestation is an advantageous offset method compared to other methods. For instance, the boreal OW afforestation represents no (or very few) lost of opportunity, contrary to afforestation on fallow lands or abandoned agricultural lands where conflicts often arise because of ownership rights or other possible land utilizations; also, afforestation is one of the cheapest and low C-intensive mitigation method. Thirdly, the outcome of the proposed research might also help Canada to reach its own long-term reduction objectives under the RFAE, and to comply to its international obligations under the KP.