New Research On Climate Change Impacts And Solutions For BC Forests

The Pacific Institute for Climate Solutions (PICS) is awarding $450,000 to five research teams to study the impact of climate change on the province’s forest ecosystems and find more sustainable forest management practices.

Forests play a critical role in the planet’s carbon cycle through the uptake, storage and release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane. They are also worth billions of dollars annually to the BC economy. But forests are under threat from deforestation, global warming, increasing fire frequency, and pests.

Almost 17.5 million hectares of BC’s forested areas, for example, are currently affected by the mountain pine-bark beetle outbreak. As the beetle-killed wood decomposes, it releases CO2 into the atmosphere, thus contributing to global warming.

“Global warming hangs like a sword over BC’s forests and dealing with it presents a big challenge,” says PICS executive director Dr. Tom Pedersen. “PICS is very pleased to support collaborative research between and among our leading universities, industry and federal research labs that will improve long-term stewardship of our remarkable forest resource.”

The funding is awarded under the institute’s “carbon management in BC forests” theme, with projects ranging in duration from one to two years. Research topics include:

• Developing advanced forest growth and yield models to improve predictions of carbon storage capacity
• Assessing current forest management practices in view of adaptation to future climate change
• Using biomass as an energy source.

PICS is a collaboration of BC’s four-research intensive universities—the University of Victoria (UVic), the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and the University of Northern British Columbia—and is hosted and led by UVic.

Pedersen says the institute’s collaborative nature sets it apart from other research bodies because it brings together top minds from different disciplines to collaborate on addressing aspects of the climate challenge.

The attached backgrounder describes the five new research projects and their institutional partners. For more information or to arrange interviews, contact the PICS communications staff.

Today’s announcement follows PICS approval in May 2011 of 27 new projects under its four other research themes - the low carbon emissions economy, sustainable communities, social mobilization, and resilient ecosystems. Full details on PICS research can be found at www.pics.uvic.ca/research.php

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