Half of Alberta’s upland boreal forest is likely to disappear over the next century due to climate change, a new study shows.
“By 2100, at least 50 per cent of the boreal upland mixed-wood forest could become young deciduous forest and grassland, based on a combination of changes in climate and wildfire,” said Diana Stralberg, a recently graduated PhD student in the Department of Biological Sciences, who led the study conducted with other U of A biologists in collaboration with colleagues from Natural Resources Canada.
In the study, the researchers examined vegetation change related to wildfire disturbance and climate change over 100 years.
Stralberg simulated wildfire using a model from Natural Resources Canada and used data from the Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute to determine what vegetation might grow back under future climates.
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