The St. Clair Region Conservation Authority has started a decades-long process of testing the sustainability of oak trees planted from different climates around North America.
Five acres have been set aside at Warwick Conservation Area for a "climate change research plantation" where trees from Tennessee and Pennsylvania will be planted.
GM Brian McDougall says it's an important experiment.
"With the emerald ash borer having gone through and decimated our ash population, there's an opportunity to look at what other species could be planted in their place that will have a better chance of surviving," says McDougall. "This is taking that to the next level of climate change and figuring out what those next species could and should be."
McDougall says the process will be a lengthy one.
He says they'll be able to see measurable results in about ten years and will check on the trees every five to ten years after that.
The venture is funded in part by the federal and provincial governments.
