Jean Bousquet is a professor at Laval University and is one of the researchers who sequenced the black spruce genome. (Archive photo)
By targeting genes and their properties, researchers can more effectively select black spruce trees that will be most able to adapt to climate change, in the future, depending on the regions where they will be planted for reforestation purposes.
The black spruce is the conifer with the greatest spectrum of ecological adaptation in North America, says Mr. Bousquet. The conifer also has a very wide distribution on the continent. And some of its genes are linked to resistance mechanisms against diseases or heat.
On the North Shore, notes Jean Bousquet, the climate is drier. On the contrary, we record a more humid climate in Gaspésie, he says. The professor indicates that black spruce trees that are resilient to drought and temperature rises will need to be planted in the region.
The Great Seed Orchard ;black spruce, located in Ragueneau, cultivates seeds intended for reforestation. Researchers and the Ministry of Forestry and Natural Resources have identified, using the seeds, the subjects that will produce the best seeds for the region.
Instead of waiting to plant 10,000 trees and waiting 40 years to evaluate them, it saves us time. It takes about 60 years for a black spruce to grow, says Mr. Bousquet.
We can use this information to better manage our forests.
A quote from Jean Bousquet, professor in the Department of Wood and Forest Sciences at Laval University
The Ministry of Forests and Natural Resources will choose the seeds whose genomic profile appears to be the best based on the climate of the region in order to produce seed plans. black spruce intended for reforestation.
In Quebec, approximately 70 million black spruce plants are planted each year, including more than 10 million on the North Shore, according to researcher Jean Bousquet.