Alex is researching the past climate and forest ecology of Québec using tree rings, a field called dendrochronology. In seasonal climates, trees put on an annual ring of growth that can record the environmental conditions in which they grew. Alex is studying trees from the highest mountains in Québec and logs preserved for centuries underwater in lake beds to understand past temperature patterns and provide insights into pre-colonial forest ecology. His research aims to provide stakeholders in the regions studied a context for the current environmental conditions so as to better understand their local ecosystems. He is currently pursuing this research as a Phd student in the CHAPEL laboratory of the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment at Concordia University under the co-supervision of Dr. Jeannine-Marie St-Jacques and Dr. Dominique Arseneault at l'Université de Québec à Rimouski.
The title of Alex's thesis is Reconstructions of past temperature, hydrology and boreal forest dynamics in south-central Québec based on tree rings.
Contact Alex at ale_pace AT live.concordia.ca