Ecological investigations at treeline in southwest Yukon and central Northwest Territories

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The transition from boreal forest to arctic tundra - referred to as the 'forest-tundra ecotone' and punctuated by the upper limit of tree growth, known as 'treeline' - is expected to advance significantly as climate warming continues, with serious implications for biodiversity and earth-system processes. The over-arching goal of my research program is to identify and more thoroughly understand how this will occur in northern Canada and, importantly, what the ecological consequences will be. More accurate forecasts of change will help northern Canadians cope with mounting uncertainty and provide useful knowledge for developing locally relevant adaptation strategies. Research over the next five years will integrate field ecology with geospatial analysis at multiple spatial and temporal scales and endeavour to answer two thematic questions: (1) How has the forest-tundra responded to climatic change in the past?, and (2) What are the suite of physical and biological variables that influence the establishment and growth of trees and shrubs at treeline? Investigations will focus on the southwest Yukon and central Northwest Territories, home to the Southern Tutchone and Dene Peoples. Funding from the Northern Research Supplement will help offset the higher costs associated with conducting fieldwork in these regions. Funds will be used towards (i) the cost of float-plane and helicopter support to access field sites; (iii) annual return transport of the research team and equipment to Whitehorse and Yellowknife; and (iii) the added costs of daily transportation and subsistence in these areas. Communication and collaboration with northern first nations, communities, resource co-management councils, and territorial and federal agencies is an important component of the research program. Recent success has been achieved on these fronts, and these will be expanded during the granting period. Interdisciplinary training of graduate and undergraduate students is a core objective of the program and will be extended by involving northerners and local community members in the research process.