Invitation to Martin Girardin’s conference: « Historical aridity and its effects on fire and the boreal forest in Canada » Historical aridity and its effects on fire and the boreal forest in Canada- April 16, 2025- 12 pm!- April 16, 2025- 12 pm!
Good Morning,
You are all invited to the conference organized by the forestry research centre (CEF) and the renewable materials research center (CRMR). The guest speaker is Martin Girardin, research associate at the Laurentian Forestry Centre (Natural Resources Canada). This presentation will occur on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, at 12. Pm, in room GHK 2320-2330. Welcome to all.
To access remotely, here is the Zoom link
Martin Girardin’s conference will focus on the fundamental pillars of his research concerning the impacts of climate change and wildfires on boreal forest ecosystems. Through an approach that integrates dendroecology, paleoecology, and modelling, the vulnerability of boreal forests to droughts and extreme temperatures will be discussed.
His work relies on the analysis of long-term time series, as well as paleoecological reconstructions and simulations, to identify trends and underlying mechanisms behind the observed forest changes. By combining these approaches with field observations and controlled environment experiments, he explores the responses of forest stands to environmental stressors. He is particularly interested in the role of genetic diversity in trees and their adaptation to changing conditions, shedding light on the implications for reforestation strategies and forest management.
Finally, his presentation will address the challenges of modelling future trajectories of boreal forests and the importance of a multidisciplinary approach to inform ecosystem management in a changing climate. This presentation will offer valuable insights into forest ecology research and adaptation strategies in the face of growing climate change risks.
Martin Girardin, a forest ecologist, specializes in studying the impacts of climate change and wildfires on boreal ecosystems. Holding a bachelor’s and master’s degree in biological sciences from UQAM, as well as a PhD in botany from the University of Manitoba, he briefly conducted postdoctoral research at Université Laval before joining the Canadian Forest Service.
His research has highlighted the vulnerability of boreal forests to droughts and extreme temperatures, challenging the idea that climate warming systematically promotes tree growth. By integrating dendroecology, paleoecology, and modelling, he has demonstrated the determining influence of climate and wildfires on forest dynamics. His work on sedimentary archives reveals that current fire regimes are exceptionally low compared to those of previous millennia, providing a reference framework for better anticipating future risks.
He has also highlighted the genetic adaptation of trees to changing climatic conditions, emphasizing the essential role of intraspecific diversity in the resilience of forest stands. His expertise and contributions to research make him a key figure in the field of forest ecology. In parallel, Martin Girardin is also the editor-in-chief of the International Journal of Wildland Fire, further strengthening his commitment to the dissemination and advancement of knowledge on wildfires and their interactions with ecosystems.