Lucas Brehaut anticipated significant interest in his research, but the wildlife in Newfoundland’s wilderness has taken a keen interest as well, sometimes causing damage to his equipment.
Brehaut, a wildfire research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service, is investigating forest regeneration in Atlantic Canada post wildfires, as these occurrences are becoming more frequent despite the region’s cooler and wetter climate.
Following a forest fire near Grand Falls-Windsor, N.L., in 2022, he embarked on a study to observe forest regrowth in a warming climate due to climate change effects.
To conduct his research, Brehaut and his team had to transport 19 open-top chambers (OTCs) through the forest and position them around planted seedlings. These OTCs function as miniature greenhouses, resembling clear hexagons with an open top, capable of raising temperatures by one to three degrees to simulate a warming environment. The study is currently in its third year out of a five-year span.
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Brehaut acknowledged the anticipated challenges, such as long treks in rough terrain and the unpredictable Newfoundland weather.
However, in September 2023, during a routine check, he encountered an unexpected issue.
“That’s when we noticed that some of these greenhouses had visitors, which led to unexpected damage,” Brehaut explained.
The “visitors” included caribou, moose, black bears, wolves, rabbits, and owls, identified through cameras initially placed to monitor snow depth but now revealing the culprits causing damage at 11 out of the 19 sites.
