Lucas Brehaut had high hopes for his research, but unexpected challenges arose due to the curious wildlife in Newfoundland.
Every creature in the Newfoundland wilderness seems keen on investigating his work, often resulting in damage to his equipment.
As a wildfire research scientist with the Canadian Forest Service, Brehaut focuses on the regrowth of forests in Atlantic Canada post wildfires, despite the region experiencing an increase in forest fires despite its cooler and wetter climate compared to the rest of the country.
Following a forest fire in 2022 near Grand Falls-Windsor, N.L., Brehaut embarked on a study to observe forest regrowth in a warming planet due to climate change.
To conduct his research, Brehaut and his team had to transport 19 open-top chambers (OTCs) through the forest to monitor seedlings they had planted. These OTCs act as miniature greenhouses, raising temperatures by one to three degrees to simulate the impact of a warming environment. Brehaut’s ongoing study is currently in its third year out of five.
-
The only known woolly dog pelt has returned to Canada. It’s a ‘powerful moment’ for Indigenous communities
-
These tiny endangered raccoons make their own toys out of trash
Despite anticipating challenges such as difficult terrain and harsh weather conditions in Newfoundland, Brehaut encountered an unexpected setback during a routine check-in in September 2023.
