Current and projected changes in climate are estimated to be from 10 to 100 times faster than the natural adaptive capacity of trees whose generation times are long. As extreme climatic events are becoming more frequent and exert a strong selection pressure on tree populations, there is an urgent need to better characterize the genetic variability involved in the response of trees to climate. There is currently a lack of knowledge on the role of genetic variability in tolerance to climatic...

Assisted gene flow (AGF) may help facilitate tree species’ adaptation to future climatic conditions. When applied to resource-producing species such as black spruce (BS, Picea mariana), AGF could contribute to maintaining forest productivity and therefore carbon sequestration. For AGF to succeed, it is important to determine how growth varies among different populations under different climates, especially for species with large distribution ranges. Existing common garden experiments repre...