Ecohydrology Seminar Series: Dr. Jennifer Baltzer

Forests on uncertain ground: impacts of permafrost thaw on water use and productivity in black spruce

Presented by Dr. Jennifer Baltzer, 

Associate Professor & Canada Research Chair in Forests and Global Change, Wilfrid Laurier University​Abstract 

Boreal forests occupy latitudes that are experiencing the greatest rates of warming on earth, a pattern that is expected to continue over the coming decades. Globally, boreal forests are showing declining growth in response to warming, which has been attributed to temperature-induced drought stress. Much of the boreal is underlain by permafrost, which can be expected to have important consequences for forest structure, composition and functioning as the climate warms; however we know little about the response of forests to changing permafrost conditions. In this seminar, I will investigate the role of permafrost thaw in black spruce water use and productivity in northwestern Canada. 

Everyone welcome. Coffee provided.