Algoma U researcher tracks wildfire tree regrowth issues

Added: 2026-05-12

[00:00:00]Wildfires are becoming more common across Canada and they are growing in size. An Algoma University graduate researcher has an interesting report out. It's on how Canada's wildfires are preventing tree regrowth. To talk more about her findings, Roxanne Bergeron now joins us from Sault Ste. Marie. Hi there, Roxanne.

[00:00:19]Hi, how's it going? I'm doing well. Uh, why did you conduct this research? What was the trigger?

[00:00:25]Well, I actually originally wasn't planning on specifically going into this. Um, this is a continuation of my undergraduate thesis project. Um, but the professor that I had approached um, was studying was doing fire ecology work and that was something I had been reading about and something I was interested in and it's a field that I know is uh, growing. Um, especially with current uh, like climate concerns. So, I just thought, okay, this would be a cool uh, project to get into and so I've just been continuing on with that.

[00:00:57]Okay, so let's talk about your project.

[00:00:59]What did your research reveal about wildfires and tree regrowth then?

[00:01:04]Well, it hasn't really revealed much thus far.

[00:01:08]Um, I'm still about I'm about halfway through. Um, currently we're we're definitely seeing so we're working with two different groups of trees, trees from Southern Ontario and Northern Ontario and we're definitely seeing that Southern Ontario trees don't seem to be surviving well in a boreal forest, which is where we're working.

[00:01:30]Um, which is somewhat as expected.

[00:01:34]Okay. Do some species of trees do better after wildfires than others? I know your research, you're only halfway done. What did you find out?

[00:01:43]Yeah, well, I mean, certain tree species are uh, definitely adapted for areas like this. So, trees like a jack pine, um, they do require the heat of a fire to open up their cones.

[00:01:57]Um so species like this are typically adapted other species in this region tend to um kind of respond well to um the to wildfires and like they'll they'll tend to regenerate um It creates kind of this like nice landscape, right? For you know, ripe for um for regeneration, but we're not too sure how southern species might fare in an environment like this because they're not so adapted at least in in southern regions. They just don't have quite as regular of a fire regime down there, so You also presented your research recently to a group in Victoria, BC. How was that experience? It was great. Yeah, it was a really an amazing first of all Victoria, BC is beautiful, but um the conference itself was super informative.

[00:02:50]There was just so many uh incredible scientists that were there.

[00:02:54]Um so it really gave a chance to to see kind of what kind of stuff people are working on, generate new ideas.

[00:03:01]Um yeah, no it was a great experience.

[00:03:04]Roxane, thanks so much for your time. It was great to talk with you.

[00:03:07]Thank you so much. Roxane Bergeron was our guest and she joined us from Sault Ste. Marie. Until learn more about Bergeron's research, head to algomau.ca.