Understanding the climate/radial-growth relationships of Northern Labrador trees

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Labrador trees exhibit a striking and poorly understood phenomenon: their radial growth (width of tree rings) responds more strongly to shifts in climate along east/west gradients than to north/south latitudinal variations. To fully understand these relationships, a detailed analysis of environmental characteristics and tree growth is necessary. The proposed research will take place at two sites, one directly along the coast and one farther inland. The sites have been selected with the assistance of the Innu Guardians program that has set up Innu Permanent Sample Plots (IPSP) across their traditional territory. At each site, 16 white spruce, the dominant species, will be monitored using band dendrometers, which detect tiny changes in tree expansion. Micro-cores will also be removed from the trees to help interpret how and when cells are being laid down. At the same IPSPs, detailed environmental data will be logged, and will be used in conjunction with the radial-growth data to better understand the timing of growth. Dramatic changes in climate are forecasted for the north, and local communities must learn the probable impacts on their forests. This research will: (1) Establish the precise timing of tree growth in both inland and coastal regions of northern Labrador, thereby enhancing our understanding of the complex forest ecology of the easternmost boreal forest. (2) Allow the information gained to be scaled to the larger existing grid of tree-ring sites already developed in Labrador, making possible more robust past-climate reconstructions and tree-growth forecasts. (3) Provide novel information relevant to research on treeline dynamics across the country, as dendrometers have never been utilized at the northern treeline anywhere in Canada. (4) Engage Nunatsiavut communities by involving them in the research, and by allowing them to better understand their forests and make more informed management decisions.