Forest restoration

While the response of the forest ecosystem in Gros Morne National Park to the moose management program that began in 2011 is encouraging, more work remains to be done. In many severely impacted ‘moose meadows’, few tree seedlings and saplings survived, and a dense cover of herbaceous plants is keeping new seedlings from becoming established. It is estimated that as much as 40 square kilometers of forest have been lost and may not regenerate without a helping hand.

To help the forest return to these ‘moose meadows’, a new phase of forest restoration has begun. In consultation with forestry experts, the forest health team at Gros Morne National Park has embarked on a project to replant some of the worst-affected areas of the park.

This forest health restoration program is being guided by a ‘climate smart’ approach that incorporates predicted future climate change into the restoration approach. Decisions on where to collect seeds and which trees to plant are being guided in part by the climate tolerances of each tree species, as well as the conditions that are being forecast for the park decades in the future.

With this approach, some of the balsam fir seedlings that will be planted in ‘moose meadows’ are being grown from seeds acquired from regions such as southwestern Newfoundland, where the current climate is similar to the climate forecasted to occur in the park decades in the future. Seedlings of some southern boreal trees such as red maple, which are currently restricted to the most favorable growing sites around Bonne Bay, may also be planted at select locations beyond their current range in the park.

The Gros Morne National Park forest health team began collecting tree seeds in 2021, and the first batch of 2-year-old seedlings were ready to plant in 2023. The team is using satellite imagery, coupled with field surveys, to identify ‘moose meadows’ that are not currently regenerating on their own. Tree planting began in some of these areas in 2023, and it will continue for at least 3 years.

This forest restoration initiative will help further restore ecological integrity and rebuild a healthy and resilient forest ecosystem in Gros Morne. It is also helping to provide a nature-based solution to climate change, as over their lifetimes, these newly planted trees will remove many thousands of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping reduce the effects of greenhouse gas emissions.