The growing concern of the impact of climate change in forestry has prompted tree improvement programs and regulatory agencies to integrate climate change adaptation in the production and use of tree seed. In support of such adaptation strategies, we conducted a case study for lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl.) in Alberta, Canada. We compared the tree height for populations and families planted across 37 progeny and provenance trials when transferred among six physiogeographically and climatically distinct breeding regions. Based on these results we infer how lodgepole populations and families are adapted to current climate conditions and how they might respond to future changes in climate. Interestingly, in almost all regions we found that local populations grew better than introduced sources, suggesting that in the current climate the use of local populations is still an appropriate reforestation strategy with some exceptions. Notably, in cool and wet higher elevation environments (between 1050 and 1650 m), local populations were outgrown by populations originating from warmer lower elevation regions. Moreover, these higher elevation populations were always outgrown when transferred to other regions. A number of transfers among regions were identified that ensure productivity gains under recent climate conditions, and simultaneously represent a short term adaptation measure for warming of about +0.5 degrees C. Further, we provide a database for selection of families within breeding populations to enhance their resilience to climate change.
Assisted migration 29 trials (10 series) across 27 locations across 6 breeding regions + data from 6 series of provenance trials (8 trials across 8 locations). The objective of this study was to compare how local progenies faired vs introduced sources, and assess potential of assisted migration to sustain biomass productivity in the face of climate change. The authors synthesize findings from these lodgepole pine translocation experiments across alberta (boreal and sub-boreal) to assess whether assisted migration could be effective to adapt to climate change. The individual trials are not coded for as distinct locations, and in our map boreal and sub-boreal fit under the same habitat type. It was coded for as 1 intervention.
Climate change impacts | Effect of Nbs on CCI | Effect measures |
---|---|---|
Loss of timber production | Positive | Height of populations relative to local sources when transferred among breeding regions, including the effects of transferring populations within and among breeding regions. |
6 lodgepole pine breeding regions in Alberta, Canada