How are Canada's forests changing due to climate change?

Canada's forests are drying out faster due to heat and drought, making them more vulnerable to severe and fast-spreading wildfires.

What is adaptive silviculture, and why is it important for Canada's forests?

Adaptive silviculture involves studying how forests are changing and adjusting management practices to build stronger, more resilient forest ecosystems. This is crucial as traditional forest management focused on timber harvest is no longer sufficient to address the impacts of climate change.

What are the potential consequences if Canada's forests lose their resilience?

Experts warn that if severe wildfires overwhelm the forests' natural resilience mechanisms, the forests may not be able to regenerate in the future, leading to a decline in forest cover.

Home / Environment / Forestry Experts Warn of Dwindling Forest Resilience Amid Warming

Forestry Experts Warn of Dwindling Forest Resilience Amid Warming

8 Oct

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Summary

Forests drying out faster due to heat and drought
Fires overwhelming forest resilience, leading to less future regeneration
Adaptive silviculture needed to improve forest resistance and resilience

As of October 8th, 2025, forestry experts in Canada are sounding the alarm on the rapidly changing state of the country's forests. At a conference in Thunder Bay, hundreds of professionals, researchers, Indigenous leaders, and policymakers gathered to discuss the mounting pressures of climate change.

The most urgent issue is how heat and drought are altering forest moisture and fuel levels, making the vegetation and dead wood more flammable. Even slight warming trends are creating cascading effects, drying out forests and increasing the risk of fast-spreading wildfires. Experts warn that these severe fires could overwhelm the forests' natural resilience mechanisms, leading to less future regeneration.

To address this challenge, forestry experts are calling for a shift in management strategies. The traditional focus on timber harvest and volume must give way to adaptive silviculture - studying how forests are changing and adjusting practices to build stronger, more resilient ecosystems. This includes identifying high-risk areas for fuel mitigation and implementing methods to improve the resistance of Canadian forests to the impacts of climate change.

The future of Canada's forests hangs in the balance, and forestry professionals are working to find solutions that will preserve these vital natural resources for generations to come.

Disclaimer: This story has been auto-aggregated and auto-summarised by a computer program. This story has not been edited or created by the Feedzop team.