How old are BC’s ancient rainforests? What did they look like 5,000 or 10,000 years ago? When Terri Lacourse is in her biology lab at the University of Victoria she answers questions just like these - using microscopic plant remains such as pollen and seeds.

13,000 yr-old spruce pollen from central BC.

 

Preserved plant fossils are like pages of nature’s own history book. Each chapter tells us how forests, ecosystems, and climate have changed over thousands of years. Lacourse and her graduate students collect samples and analyze them to determine their age. Through their work they can see when different forest types developed and even how often there were forest fires.

12,000 yr-old willow twigs and pine cones from coastal B.C.

 

Lacourse and her students aren’t just reading BC’s fossil record so they can tell BC’s natural history story. Their work helps scientists make predictions about our climate and how we can best conserve BC’s forests today. We can use this information about BC’s past to lessen the impacts of climate change on BC’s future.