Class in: The environment
Subjects: Surveys, opinions and research, environmental issues
MONTRAL, Aug. 31, 2023 /CNW/ – An article published in PNAS Nexus shows the importance of diversifying the types of wood used in construction to increase forest resilience.
Through the selection and use of wood products, construction industry players are important agents of change in forest ecosystems. Structure, fencing, insulation: wood serves many functions in the construction of buildings. Wood plays a critical role in global efforts to decarbonize industry as it is one of the few materials that stores carbon. Consequently, demand continues to grow.
However, this demand for wood has increased pressure on foresters to plant only a few yield-maximizing species, leading to the homogenization of forest ecosystems. “But taxonomic, functional and structural diversity is critical to forest resilience in a changing climate,” say the signatories of a study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nexus (PNAS Nexus).
Christian Messier, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, is one of the authors of this article. This is a rare study that links forest ecology and building construction and shows that the construction industry could diversify the types of wood it uses to promote forest diversification, observes the researcher, who, in light of the wildfires, last called in June for a Marshallax diversity plan in Quebec Forest.
The authors focused on the temperate forest of southeastern Canada and classified tree species based on their ecological characteristics and physicochemical properties in various construction applications. They found that many softwood species currently used in construction are not well adapted to climate change and other biotic disturbances, while other softwood species such as tamarack and hardwood species such as red maple, oak and elm could help make the region’s forests more resilient make.
Grouping these tree species into a few functional groups based on similar construction characteristics can make it much easier for builders to select an appropriate wood mix for future buildings, they write. Cross-laminated timber panels made from mixed wood species, wood fiber insulation materials and other engineered wood products are examples that can use a variety of species as raw materials to support the ecological resilience of forests and maximize their functional diversity.
Conference at the heart of science In 2023, more than 15 million hectares of forests in Canada will go up in smoke; Several fires are still active. What are the causes? Because these fires occur more frequently and more intensely, they make natural regeneration more difficult. What to do? How can we ensure that fires cause less damage in the future, what strategy should we pursue to make our forests more resilient: let nature take its course, focus on diversity, plant plant species outside their natural range? How do governments and forestry companies respond to scientific recommendations? At the invitation of the Coeur des Sciences, Christian Messier will hold a conference entitled “Fires: What to do now?” to better understand the events of this summer and think about a different way of thinking about our forests for the future. The conference will take place on September 21st at 6 p.m. in the Sherbrooke Pavilion Amphitheater. Registration required. |
This article was first published in Actualits UQAM on August 31, 2023.
SOURCE University of Quebec Montreal
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Press release sent on August 31, 2023 at 3:00 p.m. and distributed by:
