Grant: Alliance Grants

Boreal forests in Atlantic Canada are undergoing rapid change. The interaction of a spruce budworm outbreak, forest fire, and hyperabundant non-native moose threaten the soils, plants, and animals of this system. These disturbances also impact the ability of Atlantic Canadian boreal forests to sequester carbon - an important process to mitigate climate change. We aim to study how management of spruce budworm, fire, and moose can impact carbon sequestration and biodiversity in these boreal forests. To do this research, we are partnering and collaborating with key land-management agencies on the island of Newfoundland - Gros Morne National Park, Terra Nova National Park, The Government of NL, The Nature Conservancy of Canada, and Natural Resources Canada. Our team will collect field data and synthesize existing data on the effects of tree planting, budworm and moose management, and prescribed fire on carbon and biodiversity in Newfoundland. We will use these data to model how land management and restoration impact the ability of forests and soils to act as carbon sinks and support biodiversity. Our project advances the state of knowledge on carbon sink enhancement and biodiversity by 1) quantifying how common land management actions contribute to the carbon sinks and biodiversity; 2) using data and models for projection of carbon sinks and biodiversity across whole landscapes; 3) including wildlife management, an often forgotten but important contributor, in carbon sink assessments; and 4) quantifying the value of protected areas as forest carbon sinks. Knowledge from our project will also help our land-management agency partners to contribute to federal initiatives such as the current Government of Canada target of planting 2 billion trees by 2030, while ensuring the maintenance of ecological integrity and biodiversity persistence on the lands they manage.