Adaptation and Climate Change in Mountain Forests

Conference Commercialization, Research, Scientific and Technical Culture
July 27, 2026Villar-d'Arène - Lautaret Garden
Photo © François Pompanon, Laboratory of Alpine Ecology (UGA/USMB/CNRS)
Photo © François Pompanon, Laboratory of Alpine Ecology (UGA/USMB/CNRS)
From 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. With Thibaut Capblancq, lecturer and researcher at the Alpine Ecology Laboratory. Mountain forests are the true pillars of our regions. As reservoirs of biodiversity, they perform essential functions: water regulation and retention, timber production, protection against erosion and avalanches, not to mention their social and landscape role as spaces for recreation and rejuvenation. Today, however, these ecosystems are on the front lines of climate change.

Rising temperatures and changing precipitation patterns are testing trees’ ability to survive and regenerate. The vulnerability of mountain forest stands depends in part on their genetic diversity and their ability to adapt to these new environmental conditions. In the Alps in particular, iconic species such as beech, spruce, fir, larch, and Swiss stone pine have developed strong local adaptations over time, shaped by the constraints of the mountain environment. But these adaptations, once the key to their success, may become ill-suited to the climate of the future. This conference aims to explore a crucial question: do these local characteristics represent a vulnerability in the face of global warming, or do they, on the contrary, hold the keys to the adaptive potential of mountain forests for the decades to come?
 

Thibaut Capblancq, LECA

Thibaut Capblancq is a professor and researcher at the Alpine Ecology Laboratory (UGA/USMB/CNRS). He studies the adaptive capacities of mountain forests in the face of climate change. His work combines various complementary approaches: field experiments—notably those currently underway at the Lautaret Garden on the adaptation of the Swiss stone pine—genetic analyses, and research in dendroecology. Through this integrative approach, he seeks to better understand how trees respond to current climatic stresses and to anticipate the future of mountain forests. 
Published on April 2, 2026
Updated on April 2, 2026