e-Bulletin

Great Lakes Forestry Centre (GLFC)

Issue 56, January 2026

• Comings and goings
• Updated Plant Hardiness map shows shift in growing zones
• Simply Science travels north of Sault Ste. Marie to learn about watersheds
• The legacy of Dr. James MacBain Cameron is honoured at the Great Lakes Forestry Centre
• The State of Canada’s Forests (SoF): Annual Report 2024 is here!
• A guide to collecting forest soil samples
• When will I get new VIIRS hotspot data?
• Take a walking tour of the Great Lakes Forestry Centre Arboretum
• Publications
• Subscribe/Unsubscribe

Comings and goings

Dr. Nick Payne (Research Scientist – Atmospheric Studies) retired this past summer. Congratulations Nick!

Ning Liu (Forest Systems Modelling Specialist), who was working at GLFC in Sault Ste. Marie, has now relocated to the National Capital Region, Trade, Economics and Industry Branch. Best wishes Ning!

Updated Plant Hardiness map shows shift in growing zones

Initially developed in the 1960s and updated approximately every 10 years in the last few decades, the map shows what can grow across the country based on temperature, precipitation and other weather patterns. The most recent updates utilize both the Canadian and US approaches with climate data for the 1991-2020 period. This is the first update since 2014.

Seven climate variables are used to classify Canada into zones from 0a (the far north) to 9a (southern British Columbia): mean minimum temperature of the coldest month; mean maximum temperature of the warmest month; Frost-free period (length of growing season); summer precipitation; winter precipitation; maximum snow depth; and maximum wind speed. These variables together are used to estimate the survivability of different plant species across Canada’s diverse climates, which is important for everyone from home gardeners to professionals in forestry, ecology and conservation.

This map demonstrates how Canada’s climate and its ecosystems are changing. Learn about the development and assessment of climate models and associated maps, as well as detailed comparisons with past models at Canada's Plant Hardiness Site.

In a new open-access article “Updated plant hardiness zones for Canada and assessment of change over time”, authored by five GLFC staff (Dan McKenney, John Pedlar, Kevin Lawrence, Kaitlin DeBoer and Heather Macdonald), detailed comparisons to previous hardiness zones maps indicated that, since the 1961-1990 period, zone values have increased by between half a zone and two full zones across the country. The largest increases occurred in western and northwestern Canada. It was found that some plants can now grow in regions they could not have previously, while other areas in the most southern parts of Canada can host new plants entirely such as citrus trees and palm species.

There was significant media interest in this work. Examples can be found at “Canada's warming climate has become suitable for different plants“ (CBC), “Citrus trees in Canada? New plant hardiness map shows shift in growing zones “ (CBC), and “After 10 years, a valuable tool for gardeners has been updated” (Radio-Canada Ohdio - in French).

For more information contact Dan McKenney or John Pedlar.

Text version

A map of Canada showing the ten hardiness zones, ranging from light purple for zone 0a in the far north to pink for zone 9a at the southernmost parts of British Columbia (Vancouver area) and Ontario. Different colours are used to represent each zone: zone 0a and 0b are purple; zone 1a and 1b are in blues; zones 2a, 2b, 3a and 3b are in greens; zones 4a, 4b, 5a, and 5b are in yellows; zones 6a, 6b, and 7a are in oranges; zone 7b is in red; and zones 8a, 8b and 9a are in pinks.

Simply Science travels north of Sault Ste. Marie to learn about watersheds

The Turkey Lakes Watershed is a key long-term research site 50 km north of Sault Ste. Marie where GLFC scientists study the water, forests, and climate change. Simply Science travelled to this research area to meet with Dr. Jason Leach to find out what a watershed is and how they work in forests. Watch Jason and his staff, Matthew Dimitroff and Danielle Hudson explain in the video How we study watersheds.

For more information contact Jason Leach.

The legacy of Dr. James MacBain Cameron is honoured at the Great Lakes Forestry Centre

An entomologist born in Nova Scotia in 1910, Dr. Cameron moved to Sault Ste. Marie in 1945 and was the first director of the Insect Pathology Research Institute, dedicated to protecting forests in the ongoing fight against threats posed by insects. Dr. Cameron led the forestry centre from 1950 to 1975, shaping it into a world-class centre for forest science. The Institute eventually became known as the Great Lakes Forestry Centre (GLFC) in 1976, one year after Cameron’s death in 1975.

In June 2025, GLFC welcomed his family, including five of his children and several extended family members, who joined staff, retirees, and guests for a special event honouring his legacy. They met in the Cameron Room (named in his honour).

At the event, Dr. Taylor Scarr, GLFC Entomology Research Program Director, said “He has a legacy of attracting world-class scientists to the Great Lakes Forestry Centre. The Centre continues to bring in those kinds of people and they're not just civil servants working in a federal government lab. They're part of the community”.

Dr. Cameron was known for his commitment to scientific excellence, and unconventional approaches, including recruiting international scientists and introducing new technologies (including one of the first electron microscopes in Canada) to work on cutting-edge forest entomology and pathology.

His contributions to post-secondary education in northern Ontario, including helping establish Algoma University, further reflect his dedication to science and community. The university officially renamed its faculty of science as the Cameron Faculty of Science in a ceremony held on June 13.

For more information contact Taylor Scarr.

The State of Canada’s Forests: Annual Report 2024 is here!

The 34th edition of SoF will continue the more than three-decade tradition of being the authoritative source for information on the social standing, economic value and environmental nature of Canada’s forests and forest sector featuring: interviews with current and former CFS staff; a retrospective timeline highlighting key milestones in the forest sector and the CFS's role over 125 years; an article tracing the shift in Canadian forest management – from focusing on economic development to prioritizing environmental sustainability; an overview of federal and non-federal forest research facilities and initiatives in Canada; and a discussion on forest products and their role in climate change adaptation and mitigation.

Find maps, data, facts, figures and interactive graphs on the State of Canada’s Forests Annual Report webpage. Sign up to receive electronic updates.

A guide to collecting forest soil samples

The recently published “A guide to collecting forest soil samples" aims to provide general guidelines on how to collect organic forest floor and mineral soil samples in the field for the purpose of chemical analyses and sample storage, so that the final data will be of high quality. Ensuring that samples are collected in a standardized way also allows the collected data to be incorporated into larger accessible databases that can be used by others for many different applications.

Several different approaches to soil sampling are described in this guide and the choice of method will depend on factors such as type of soil, equipment available, expertise and experience of field staff, and study purpose. If the study is interested in soil properties other than chemical analyses (e.g., environmental DNA [eDNA], enzymes, trace elements), additional steps may be required to those mentioned in this guide, such as disinfecting or cleaning sampling tools to avoid sample contamination between depths, treatments, and plots. These other types of analyses may also require alternative storage requirements (e.g., freezing).

Also, for a quick overview of the soil collection process, refer to the guide “Collecting, Analysing, and Storing Forest Soil Data Samples in the Age of Big Data: A guide for researchers and field practitioners”.

For more information contact Stephanie Nelson.

When will I get new VIIRS hotspot data?

Satellite data are valuable sources of information for fire managers, especially in remote areas, to detect new fires and monitor ongoing ones. Satellites are the only technology that can provide daily observations for all of Canada. Determining when satellites will pass over a particular location in Canada is not always straightforward.

This poster uses historical fire observations to map typical overpass times of the satellites that carry the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) instrument. We also highlight some additional considerations for users of satellite data for fire observations in Canada. Download the poster When will I get a new VIIRS hotspot data?

For more information contact Mark de Jong.

Take a walking tour of the Great Lakes Forestry Centre Arboretum

The GLFC Arboretum site is located adjacent to GLFC in Sault Ste. Marie and was first established with the planting of a red maple on Arbor Day, May 2, 1978. The original concept was to assemble as large a collection of native trees of Canada as local climate and available space would allow. However, the scope of the plan was broadened to include exotic, or non-native, species to provide an experimental showcase of plant material available and suitable for ornamental use in this plant hardiness zone.

It has been maintained to the present day with the addition of different species and to honor special occasions, including two sugar maples planted to commemorate GLFC’s commitments to collaborative relationships with both Batchewana First Nation and Garden River First Nation. The Arboretum now includes more than 90 species of trees representing 34 genera.

One of the most significant trees in the Queen Street Dedication Grove is the Vimy oak (Q. robur L.). This tree holds special significance to all Canadians because it was planted in recognition of the significant losses and injuries resulting from World War I. This tree is a cutting (scion) from one of the trees in Scarborough, Ontario, which were grown from acorns collected from the battlefield by a Canadian soldier following the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917. The GLFC applied and was granted the honour of planting this tree here.

The recently published “The Great Lakes Forestry Centre Arboretum” guide provides a twelve-stop tour of the arboretum, identifying species and area features along the way. Identification plaques are attached to sandstone blocks beside one representative of each species planted in the Arboretum. Trees in the CFS Memorial Grove are dedicated to former GLFC staff who made significant scientific contributions.

GLFC’s current silviculture objective is to diversify and maintain the forest species cover with native species of Canada and perhaps northern United States, with consideration given to influences from climate warming and threats from invasive organisms. The other objective is to reduce the non-native tree component, specifically, Norway maple (Acer platanoides L.) and little-leaf linden (Tilia cordata Mill.), as well as invasives shrubs like European buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica L.).

For more information contact Stan Phippen.

Publications

• To order copies of these publications, please contact the Great Lakes Forestry Centre publications assistant.
• Publications are available in English unless otherwise indicated.

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