Across Canada, climate change induced warming and modest gains in precipitation are expected to increase the duration and severity of soil water deficit. In southwestern Quebec, the severity soil water deficit is expected to increase by 33 % over the next eighty years. This poses significant concern for the health and function of sugar maple (Acer saccharum) which dominate the temperate forests of the region but rely on constant water supply. Despite projected soil drying, research into the impact of drought in the area remains limited. Response to drought varies among and within tree species, influenced by factors including tree water-use strategies, size and age, and the availability of water resources in a forest ecosystem. To determine the intra and inter-specific effects of drought we will examine the tree-water relations of sugar maple and competing species in a manipulated rainfall exclusion experiment at the Kenauk Nature Reserve in southwestern Quebec. Between 2021 and 2024, we will evaluate species’ response to drought by analyzing, intrinsic water-use efficiency using tree ring data, transpiration using sap flow sensors, and radial growth and water storage using dendrometers. To understand how intraspecific variation affects species response to drought, we will explore differences in water use and storage across tree size classes. This work will enhance our ability to predict the vulnerability of temperate forests to climate change, with implications for the management strategies of the economically, and culturally important sugar maple.