We are seeking graduate students for Fall 13' 

Email Bryce Gunson (bgunson@wlu.ca) for details

Maple Syrup and Maple Leaves -

Iconic symbols of Canadian identity, part of rural resilience.......
potentially threatened by climate change?

Under climate change, it is thought that there may be more variability in the quality and quantity of syrup production and that sugar maple tree ecosystems may be increasingly stressed by droughts and heat waves. This research program is aimed at:

• Further developing an interdisciplinary approach that can value and incorporate all relevant knowledges about maple syrup and climate change;
• Learning more about climate change and its impacts on maple syrup production, sugar maple ecosystems and affected communities/stakeholders/knowledge holders;
• Reducing the likelihood of these impacts; and
• Identifying ways to adapt and adjust to changing conditions.

This interdisciplinary research is a collaborative program that involves academics and students from across the academy (Humanities, Social Science and Physical Sciences) working with several partners including government agencies, non government organizations and syrup producers. This program also works across ‘ways of knowing’ to include Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge holders, local knowledges, etc. To date, within the program, several projects have been completed or are underway related to the development of interdisciplinary methodologies, GIS mapping, climate change perceptions and adaptation, and community resilience.

This program has received funding from a Wilfrid Laurier internal grant and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Photo credits: Laura Brown, Maple Winds Farm