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Symposia
1: The
boreal forest and global change
Endorsed
by the ESA Vegetation Section and IAVS/NA and the ESA
Canada
Chapter
Monday, August 8, 8 AM - 11:30 AM, Meeting Room 517a,
Level 5, Palais
des congrès de Montréal
Organizers:
Edward Johnson (Johnson@ucalgary.ca), Kiyoko Miyanishi, Kathleen Ruckstuhl
Description: The boreal
forest is the second largest biome in the world. It is circumpolar and shares
similar taxa across its range, and is at the latitudes where most of the global
warming is predicted to happen. Projected impacts of global warming are expected
to be greatest over land surfaces and northern latitudes. Among predicted
changes are a quick and significant increase in the frequency and extent of
boreal fires, a shift in age-class distribution, and a decrease in carbon stored
in the forest. The boreal forest is a major depository of carbon and one of the
last settlement frontiers. Drastic changes in this ecosystem will affect all
levels of organisms and are likely to have unprecedented impacts. This symposium
brings together leading researchers from boreal regions of the world to
summarize our present knowledge of the global changes occurring in this biome
and to make recommendations for the future.
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