Martin Girardin

Biography:

It all began in 1998, when I enrolled in a Bachelor of Science degree program in biology. As part of a special project, I carried out a study on the impact of climate variability and larch sawfly outbreaks on the growth of tamarack trees. From 1999 to 2001, I did graduate-level studies, during which I did research to determine the dynamics of tamarack bogs. At that time, very little was known about the dynamics of these boreal forest stands. My goal was also to determine the main ecological factors associated with vegetation distribution and the factors controlling tamarack radial growth. By studying the growth rings, I was able to demonstrate that several major larch sawfly outbreaks had decimated these stands in the western part of the Province of Québec. From 2001 to 2005, I continued my studies towards a PhD degree. In particular, I worked on the reconstitution of fire risk over the past three centuries in Canada’s boreal forests by studying the growth rings of trees. Fire activity in boreal forests is a major process that has repercussions on the global carbon cycle and atmospheric chemistry. This process also contributes considerably to the functioning of the terrestrial ecosystem and to the maintenance of biodiversity. Since I was hired at the Canadian Forest Service as a research scientist in 2005, I have done a vast amount of work on climate change and fire risk. My work focuses primarily on the reconstitution of past variability of fire risk using paleo-ecological data and simulations from climate models. Another major component of my work consists of studying the impact of climate change on forest productivity and carbon fluxes. The 20th century was a pivotal period for North America’s northern environments. In fact, this period saw the beginning of rapid climate warming caused by changes in the composition of the atmosphere resulting from greenhouse gas emissions. Accelerated melting of the Arctic ice pack is one of the effects of this climate change. But what about boreal forests farther south? Are they in better or worse condition than before? This is a core issue in the work that I am currently doing.