Evaluating disturbance-mediated vegetation change and climate-change refugia potential across Alberta boreal forest lands

缓冲了人为的气候变化。特别是，我们将专注于泥炭地-高地界面，以及泥炭地的反馈如何缓冲气候变化的影响（阻力），因为它们能够在日益干旱的气候中产生和保持水分。泥炭地还改变了野火的燃烧模式（频率和强度），从而进一步促进了当地生态系统功能和生物多样性的抵抗力和恢复力。我们建议结合遥感和实地研究来检查这些因素，这些研究将评估野火模式、森林特征和功能（生产力、生长和再生），以及阿尔伯塔省日益破碎和受到威胁的北方森林中的避难所建模和制图。拟议的研究将导致管理工具的发展，这些工具将支持气候智能生态系统（森林）管理和保护规划，并解决加拿大的两个关键优先事项。为了实现这些研究目标并支持我们的合作伙伴组织——加拿大林业局和阿尔伯塔生物多样性监测研究所——的活动，我们将与我们的合作伙伴合作，将研究的学术重点、研究生和研究助理的培训与我们合作伙伴组织的应用管理重点结合起来。这包括开发一套工具、地图和知识，可用于解决围绕加拿大北方森林适应气候变化的环境管理优先事项。

buffered against anthropogenic climate change. In particular, we will concentrate on the peatland-uplandinterface and how feedbacks in peatlands can buffer the effects of climate change (resistance) due to theirability to generate and retain moisture within an increasingly arid climate. Peatlands also alter wildfire patternsin burns (frequency and intensity) that further promote resistance and resilience of local ecosystem function andbiodiversity. We propose to examine these factors using a combination of remote sensing and field studies thatwill assess wildfire patterns, forest characteristics and function (productivity, growth, and regeneration), andrefugia modeling and mapping within Alberta's increasingly fragmented and threatened boreal forest. Proposedresearch will lead to development of management tools that will support climate-smart ecosystem (forest)management and conservation planning and address two key priorities for Canada.To achieve these research objectives and to support activities of our partner organizations-Canadian ForestService and Alberta Biodiversity Monitoring Institute-we will work with our partners to integrate academicpriorities of research and training of graduate students and research assistant with that of the appliedmanagement priorities of our partner organizations. This includes development of a set of tools, maps, andknowledge that can be used to address environmental management priorities surrounding climate changeadaptation for Canada's boreal forest.