Alexis Achim explores research and transition at Montmorency Forest!
As part of the new season of Tire-toi une bûche!, a series of virtual talks highlighting research conducted at Montmorency Forest and organized by the Faculty of Forestry, Geography, and Geomatics, Professor Alexis Achim presented the conference Ecosystems in Motion, Research in Action: Montmorency Forest in Full Transition. Professor Evelyne Thiffault hosted the webinar.
This forest is unique: located at the junction of the boreal and temperate biomes, it serves as an ideal natural laboratory for observing the effects of climate change on forest ecosystems. The presentation provided an exclusive look at the strategies implemented in the world’s largest teaching and research forest. It demonstrated how forest management approaches influence resilience to climate change, biodiversity, timber production, and public engagement.
Alexis emphasizes that Montmorency Forest is not merely a space for timber production but a living laboratory where the future of forests is being shaped. Field experiments enable testing, observation, and adjustment of forestry practices, integrating modern scientific data with social considerations. He notes that the forest is already transforming due to rapid climate change. Ecosystems are constantly evolving: some species respond, migrate, or alter their growth in reaction to changes in temperature, precipitation, and environmental stresses.
This complexity shows that adapting forests to climate change requires large-scale experimentation, continuous scientific monitoring, and attention to both nature and the human communities that depend on forests.
At the heart of this approach, three key focuses emerge: climate resilience, biodiversity, and social acceptance. Together, these insights make it possible to reinvent forest management, balancing ecology, sustainable production, and human needs.
Watch the lecture here:Â Ecosystems in Motion, Research in Action: Montmorency Forest in Full Transition