Program

Cost: Included with registration
(Space limited)

A two-hour guided walking tour of Old Quebec, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Participants will be divided into smaller groups to provide a more personalized experience as we explore the city’s rich history and main attractions.

Cost: $150 per person
(Space limited)

The conference dinner will take place in the Grand Hall at the Musée de la Civilisation (Museum of Civilization) and include exclusive evening access to the exhibit.

This event offers an opportunity to gather in a relaxed setting and connect with colleagues from across the global boreal forest research community. This social evening will celebrate collaboration, shared experiences, and the exchange of ideas in an informal atmosphere.

Cost: $100 per person
(Space limited)

Conference field trips provide participants with the opportunity to explore boreal forest landscapes and management sites near Québec City. We invite you to select one of the three excursions that will highlight regional research, management practices, and ecological processes relevant to the conference theme.

OPTION 1:Disturbances, Biodiversity and Forest Management
Presented by Junior Tremblay & Environment and Climate Change Canada
This field trip will explore how disturbance and management interact to shape boreal forest biodiversity. Participants will visit boreal forest stands affected by hemlock looper outbreaks and discuss how retention strategies implemented during salvage logging have contributed to the maintenance of saproxylic biodiversity (i.e., insects and woodpeckers). The day will also highlight how LiDAR-based predictive models are used to guide conservation and management decisions, with a focus on breeding habitat of an at-risk avian species, Bicknell’s Thrush.

OPTION 2: Forest Ecosystem Functioning and Climate Change Adaptation
Presented by the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts & Université Laval

This excursion will showcase collaborative field experiments led by researchers from Quebec Government’s Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts (MRNF) and Laval University. Topics will include monitoring changes in water and energy balances and their effects on forest ecosystems, silvicultural scenarios for adaptation to climate change involving assisted migration in boreal fir forests and the issue of forest degradation. The visit will also showcase different types of partial cutting approaches in natural boreal fir forests.

OPTION 3: Monitoring Environmental and Human Health in a Changing Climate
Presented by Université Laval & Natural Resources Canada

This field trip will showcase experimental facilities dedicated to monitoring both forest and human health. Participants will begin with two experiments led by Natural Resources Canada: the first simulates climate change conditions in real time by manipulating air temperature and rainfall interception, while the second investigates the effects of plant material inputs on carbon sequestration and nutrient availability. They will then explore the concept of "Sustainable Health", i.e., the interconnection between environmental and human well-being and discover how forest environments may benefit human health through a visit to Vitam's mobile health measurement platform, deployed at the Montmorency Forest, which assesses key health indicators in situ.