Research Projects
Ownership
Overview
The Québec component of the DREAM network is based on a large experiment testing in operational silvicultural scenarios including assisted migration. The experimental plantation, established in 2018, is located in the mixedwood temperate forest. On top of providing essential data on survival and growth of nine tree species, this experiment will help determine which seed source to select (e.g. local or more southern), as well the conditions favourising establishment success.
A partnership between the MFFP and the Université Laval, including collaboration with the USDA Forest service, is supported by a Alliance funding from NSERC since 2020. This project will allow us to explore the ecological and sociological aspects of assisted migration.
Overview
The Pine Popple DREAM research site is located within the Wild Rivers Legacy Forest in northeastern Wisconsin and is managed by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. The 66 hectare/162 acre experimental site is characterized as a northern hardwood forest with silt loam soils and an overstory dominated by sugar maple (Acer saccharum). The stand was likely degraded by management legacies, white-tailed deer overbrowsing, and earthworms. These various legacies challenge sustainable management and, thus, offer an opportunity to test whether assisted migration may be a viable option to improve stand value and diversity.
The experiment is a partnership between the USDA Forest Service Northern Research Station, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and Michigan State University and has a core mission of testing a range of climate-smart silvicultural strategies for ten economically and ecologically important species in an assisted migration context.