Planting for a hotter future

Biologist Julie Messier, MSc student Sabina Henry and collaborators examined black spruce growth in warmer, drier conditions. Better growth was associated with three traits together: fewer needles, conservative water use and conservative carbon use.

The combination matters. A single apparently helpful trait did not explain the pattern on its own. The research gives forest practitioners a more specific question to investigate when selecting trees for changing conditions; it does not establish that one planting strategy works everywhere.