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Tanase MA, Mihai MC, Miguel S, Cantero A, Tijerin J, Ruiz-Benito P, Domingo D, Garcia-Martin A, Aponte C, Lamelas MT. Long-term annual estimation of forest above ground biomass, canopy cover, and height from airborne and spaceborne sensors synergies in the Iberian Peninsula. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 259:119432. [PMID: 38944104 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2024] [Revised: 06/04/2024] [Accepted: 06/15/2024] [Indexed: 07/01/2024]
Abstract
The Mediterranean Basin has experienced substantial land use changes as traditional agriculture decreased and population migrated from rural to urban areas, which have resulted in a large forest cover increase. The combination of Landsat time series, providing spectral information, with lidar, offering three-dimensional insights, has emerged as a viable option for the large-scale cartography of forest structural attributes across large time spans. Here we develop and test a comprehensive framework to map forest above ground biomass, canopy cover and forest height in two regions spanning the most representative biomes in the peninsular Spain, Mediterranean (Madrid region) and temperate (Basque Country). As reference, we used lidar-based direct estimates of stand height and forest canopy cover. The reference biomass and volume were predicted from lidar metrics. Landsat time series predictors included annual temporal profiles of band reflectance and vegetation indices for the 1985-2023 period. Additional predictor variables including synthetic aperture radar, disturbance history, topography and forest type were also evaluated to optimize forest structural attributes retrieval. The estimates were independently validated at two temporal scales, i) the year of model calibration and ii) the year of the second lidar survey. The final models used as predictor variables only Landsat based metrics and topographic information, as the available SAR time-series were relatively short (1991-2011) and disturbance information did not decrease the estimation error. Model accuracies were higher in the Mediterranean forests when compared to the temperate forests (R2 = 0.6-0.8 vs. 0.4-0.5). Between the first (1985-1989) and the last (2020-2023) decades of the monitoring period the average forest cover increased from 21 ± 2% to 32 ± 1%, mean height increased from 6.6 ± 0.43 m to 7.9 ± 0.18 m and the mean biomass from 31.9 ± 3.6 t ha-1 to 50.4 ± 1 t ha-1 for the Mediterranean forests. In temperate forests, the average canopy cover increased from 55 ± 4% to 59 ± 3%, mean height increased from 15.8 ± 0.77 m to 17.3 ± 0.21m, while the growing stock volume increased from 137.8 ± 8.2 to 151.5 ± 3.8 m3 ha-1. Our results suggest that multispectral data can be successfully linked with lidar to provide continuous information on forest height, cover, and biomass trends.
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Affiliation(s)
- M A Tanase
- Universidad de Alcalá, Environmental Remote Sensing Research Group, Departamento de Geología, Geografía y Medio Ambiente, Colegios 2, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Spain.
| | - M C Mihai
- Universidad de Alcalá, Environmental Remote Sensing Research Group, Departamento de Geología, Geografía y Medio Ambiente, Colegios 2, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - S Miguel
- Universidad de Alcalá, Environmental Remote Sensing Research Group, Departamento de Geología, Geografía y Medio Ambiente, Colegios 2, 28801, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - A Cantero
- HAZI Fundazioa, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
| | - J Tijerin
- Universidad de Alcalá, Grupo de Ecología y Restauración Forestal, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Facultad de Ciencias, 28805, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - P Ruiz-Benito
- Universidad de Alcalá, Grupo de Ecología y Restauración Forestal, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, Facultad de Ciencias, 28805, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - D Domingo
- iuFOR, EiFAB, Universidad de Valladolid, 42004 Soria, Spain; GEOFOREST-IUCA, Departamento de Geografía, Universidad de Zaragoza, Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - A Garcia-Martin
- Centro Universitario de la Defensa de Zaragoza, Academia General Militar, Ctra. de Huesca s/n, Zaragoza 50090, Spain; GEOFOREST-IUCA, Departamento de Geografía, Universidad de Zaragoza, Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - C Aponte
- Instituto de Ciencias Forestales ICIFOR-INIA, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | - M T Lamelas
- Centro Universitario de la Defensa de Zaragoza, Academia General Militar, Ctra. de Huesca s/n, Zaragoza 50090, Spain; GEOFOREST-IUCA, Departamento de Geografía, Universidad de Zaragoza, Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
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2
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Miguel S, Ruiz-Benito P, Rebollo P, Viana-Soto A, Mihai MC, García-Martín A, Tanase M. Forest disturbance regimes and trends in continental Spain (1985-2023) using dense landsat time series. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 2024; 262:119802. [PMID: 39147188 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2024.119802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2024] [Revised: 08/12/2024] [Accepted: 08/13/2024] [Indexed: 08/17/2024]
Abstract
Forest disturbance regimes across biomes are being altered by interactive effects of global change. Establishing baselines for assessing change requires detailed quantitative data on past disturbance events, but such data are scarce and difficult to obtain over large spatial and temporal scales. The integration of remote sensing with dense time series analysis and cloud computing platforms is enhancing the ability to monitor historical disturbances, and especially non-stand replacing events along climatic gradients. Since the integration of such tools is still scarce in Mediterranean regions, here, we combine dense Landsat time series and the Continuous Change Detection and Classification - Spectral Mixture Analysis (CCDC-SMA) method to monitor forest disturbance in continental Spain from 1985 to 2023. We adapted the CCDC-SMA method for improved disturbance detection creating new spectral libraries representative of the study region, and quantified the year, month, severity, return interval, and type of disturbance (stand replacing, non-stand replacing) at a 30 m resolution. In addition, we characterised forest disturbance regimes and trends (patch size and severity, and frequency of events) of events larger than 0.5 ha at the national scale by biome (Mediterranean and temperate) and forest type (broadleaf, needleleaf and mixed). We quantified more than 2.9 million patches of disturbed forest, covering 4.6 Mha over the region and period studied. Forest disturbances were on average larger but less severe in the Mediterranean than in the temperate biome, and significantly larger and more severe in needleleaf than in mixed and broadleaf forests. Since the late 1980s, forest disturbances have decreased in size and severity while increasing in frequency across all biomes and forest types. These results have important implications as they confirm that disturbance regimes in continental Spain are changing and should therefore be considered in forest strategic planning for policy development and implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Miguel
- Environmental Remote Sensing Research Group, Department of Geography and Geology, Universidad de Alcalá, Colegios 2, Alcalá de Henares, 28801, Spain.
| | - P Ruiz-Benito
- Environmental Remote Sensing Research Group, Department of Geography and Geology, Universidad de Alcalá, Colegios 2, Alcalá de Henares, 28801, Spain; Universidad de Alcalá, Grupo de Ecología y Restauración Forestal (FORECO), Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, 28805, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - P Rebollo
- Universidad de Alcalá, Grupo de Ecología y Restauración Forestal (FORECO), Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida, 28805, Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain; Departamento de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, C/ José Antonio Novais 12, 28040, Madrid, Spain
| | - A Viana-Soto
- Technical University of Munich, School of Life Sciences, Earth Observation for Ecosystem Management, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany
| | - M C Mihai
- Environmental Remote Sensing Research Group, Department of Geography and Geology, Universidad de Alcalá, Colegios 2, Alcalá de Henares, 28801, Spain
| | - A García-Martín
- Centro Universitario de la Defensa de Zaragoza, Academia General Militar, Ctra. de Huesca s/n, 50090, Zaragoza, Spain; Geoforest-IUCA, Department of Geography and Land Management, University of 6 Zaragoza, Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - M Tanase
- Environmental Remote Sensing Research Group, Department of Geography and Geology, Universidad de Alcalá, Colegios 2, Alcalá de Henares, 28801, Spain
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3
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Astigarraga J, Esquivel-Muelbert A, Ruiz-Benito P, Rodríguez-Sánchez F, Zavala MA, Vilà-Cabrera A, Schelhaas MJ, Kunstler G, Woodall CW, Cienciala E, Dahlgren J, Govaere L, König LA, Lehtonen A, Talarczyk A, Liu D, Pugh TAM. Relative decline in density of Northern Hemisphere tree species in warm and arid regions of their climate niches. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2314899121. [PMID: 38954552 PMCID: PMC11252807 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2314899121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Although climate change is expected to drive tree species toward colder and wetter regions of their distribution, broadscale empirical evidence is lacking. One possibility is that past and present human activities in forests obscure or alter the effects of climate. Here, using data from more than two million monitored trees from 73 widely distributed species, we quantify changes in tree species density within their climatic niches across Northern Hemisphere forests. We observe a reduction in mean density across species, coupled with a tendency toward increasing tree size. However, the direction and magnitude of changes in density exhibit considerable variability between species, influenced by stand development that results from previous stand-level disturbances. Remarkably, when accounting for stand development, our findings show a significant change in density toward cold and wet climatic conditions for 43% of the species, compared to only 14% of species significantly changing their density toward warm and arid conditions in both early- and late-development stands. The observed changes in climate-driven density showed no clear association with species traits related to drought tolerance, recruitment and dispersal capacity, or resource use, nor with the temperature or aridity affiliation of the species, leaving the underlying mechanism uncertain. Forest conservation policies and associated management strategies might want to consider anticipated long-term species range shifts alongside the integration of contemporary within-distribution density changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julen Astigarraga
- Department of Life Sciences, Forest Ecology and Restoration Group (FORECO), Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares 28805, Spain
| | - Adriane Esquivel-Muelbert
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, BirminghamB15 2TT, United Kingdom
- Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, University of Birmingham, BirminghamB15 2TT, United Kingdom
| | - Paloma Ruiz-Benito
- Department of Life Sciences, Forest Ecology and Restoration Group (FORECO), Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares 28805, Spain
- Department of Geology, Geography and Environment Science, Environmental Remote Sensing Research Group (GITA), Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares28801, Spain
| | | | - Miguel A. Zavala
- Department of Life Sciences, Forest Ecology and Restoration Group (FORECO), Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares 28805, Spain
- Universidad de Alcalá, Franklin Institute, Alcalá de Henares28801, Spain
| | - Albert Vilà-Cabrera
- Department of Life Sciences, Forest Ecology and Restoration Group (FORECO), Universidad de Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares 28805, Spain
- Centre de Recerca Ecològica i Aplicacions Forestals (CREAF), Bellaterra (Cerdanyola de Vallès), CataloniaE08193, Spain
| | - Mart-Jan Schelhaas
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Team Sustainable Forest Ecosystems, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen6708 PB, The Netherlands
| | - Georges Kunstler
- Université Grenoble Alpes, Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Laboratoire EcoSystémes et Sociétés En Montagne (LESSEM), St.-Martin-d’Heres38402, France
| | - Christopher W. Woodall
- The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Durham, NH03824
| | - Emil Cienciala
- Institute of Forest Ecosystem Research (IFER), Research and Science, Jilove u Prahy254 01, Czech Republic
- Global Change Research Institute CAS, Department of Climate Change Impacts on Agroecosystems, Brno603 00, Czech Republic
| | - Jonas Dahlgren
- Department of Forest Resource and Management, Division of Forest Resource Data, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå90183, Sweden
| | - Leen Govaere
- Department of Policy and Strategy, Agency for Nature and Forests, Brussels1000, Belgium
| | - Louis A. König
- Wageningen Environmental Research, Team Sustainable Forest Ecosystems, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen6708 PB, The Netherlands
- Forest Ecology, Department of Environmental Systems Science, Institute of Terrestrial Ecosystems, Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, Zurich8092, Switzerland
| | | | - Andrzej Talarczyk
- Forest and Natural Resources Research Centre, Warsaw02-491, Poland
- Taxus IT, Warsaw02-491, Poland
| | - Daijun Liu
- Department of Botany and Biodiversity Research, University of Vienna, Vienna1030, Austria
| | - Thomas A. M. Pugh
- School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, BirminghamB15 2TT, United Kingdom
- Birmingham Institute of Forest Research, University of Birmingham, BirminghamB15 2TT, United Kingdom
- Department of Physical Geography and Ecosystem Science, Lund University, LundS-223 62, Sweden
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4
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Leifsson C, Buras A, Klesse S, Baittinger C, Bat-Enerel B, Battipaglia G, Biondi F, Stajić B, Budeanu M, Čada V, Cavin L, Claessens H, Čufar K, de Luis M, Dorado-Liñán I, Dulamsuren C, Garamszegi B, Grabner M, Hacket-Pain A, Hansen JK, Hartl C, Huang W, Janda P, Jump AS, Kazimirović M, Knutzen F, Kreyling J, Land A, Latte N, Lebourgeois F, Leuschner C, Longares LA, Martinez Del Castillo E, Menzel A, Motta R, Muffler-Weigel L, Nola P, Panayatov M, Petritan AM, Petritan IC, Popa I, Roibu CC, Rubio-Cuadrado Á, Rydval M, Scharnweber T, Camarero JJ, Svoboda M, Toromani E, Trotsiuk V, van der Maaten-Theunissen M, van der Maaten E, Weigel R, Wilmking M, Zlatanov T, Rammig A, Zang CS. Identifying drivers of non-stationary climate-growth relationships of European beech. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 937:173321. [PMID: 38782287 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.173321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2024] [Revised: 05/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/25/2024]
Abstract
The future performance of the widely abundant European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) across its ecological amplitude is uncertain. Although beech is considered drought-sensitive and thus negatively affected by drought events, scientific evidence indicating increasing drought vulnerability under climate change on a cross-regional scale remains elusive. While evaluating changes in climate sensitivity of secondary growth offers a promising avenue, studies from productive, closed-canopy forests suffer from knowledge gaps, especially regarding the natural variability of climate sensitivity and how it relates to radial growth as an indicator of tree vitality. Since beech is sensitive to drought, we in this study use a drought index as a climate variable to account for the combined effects of temperature and water availability and explore how the drought sensitivity of secondary growth varies temporally in dependence on growth variability, growth trends, and climatic water availability across the species' ecological amplitude. Our results show that drought sensitivity is highly variable and non-stationary, though consistently higher at dry sites compared to moist sites. Increasing drought sensitivity can largely be explained by increasing climatic aridity, especially as it is exacerbated by climate change and trees' rank progression within forest communities, as (co-)dominant trees are more sensitive to extra-canopy climatic conditions than trees embedded in understories. However, during the driest periods of the 20th century, growth showed clear signs of being decoupled from climate. This may indicate fundamental changes in system behavior and be early-warning signals of decreasing drought tolerance. The multiple significant interaction terms in our model elucidate the complexity of European beech's drought sensitivity, which needs to be taken into consideration when assessing this species' response to climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Leifsson
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Life Sciences, Land Surface-Atmosphere Interactions, Hans-Carl-v.-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany.
| | - Allan Buras
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Life Sciences, Land Surface-Atmosphere Interactions, Hans-Carl-v.-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Stefan Klesse
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Claudia Baittinger
- The National Museum of Denmark, Environmental Archaeology and Materials Science, I.C. Modewegs Vej 11, DK - 2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Banzragch Bat-Enerel
- Plant Ecology, University of Goettingen, 37073 Goettingen, Germany; Applied Vegetation Ecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Franco Biondi
- DendroLab, Dept. of Natural Resources and Environmental Science, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557, USA
| | - Branko Stajić
- University of Belgrade, Faculty of Forestry, Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Marius Budeanu
- National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry Marin Dracea, 13 Closca street, Brasov, Romania
| | - Vojtěch Čada
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamycka 129, Praha 6, Suchdol 16521, Czech Republic
| | - Liam Cavin
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK
| | - Hugues Claessens
- Forest is Life, ULiège, Passage des Déportés 2, B-5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | - Katarina Čufar
- University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Wood Science and Technology, Jamnikarjeva 101, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
| | - Martin de Luis
- Dpto. de Geografía y Ordenación del Territorio, IUCA, Universidad de Zaragoza, C/ Pedro Cerbuna s/n, 50009 Zaragoza. Spain
| | - Isabel Dorado-Liñán
- Departamento de Sistemas y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Choimaa Dulamsuren
- Applied Vegetation Ecology, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Balázs Garamszegi
- Institute of Forest Ecology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Michael Grabner
- University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Andrew Hacket-Pain
- Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Jon Kehlet Hansen
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Claudia Hartl
- Nature Rings - Environmental Research & Education, 55118 Mainz, Germany
| | - Weiwei Huang
- Department of Geosciences and Natural Resource Management, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Collaborative Innovation Center of Sustainable Forestry in Southern China of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Pavel Janda
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamycka 129, Praha 6, Suchdol 16521, Czech Republic
| | - Alistair S Jump
- Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4LA, Scotland, UK
| | | | - Florian Knutzen
- Climate Service Center Germany (GERICS), Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon, Fischertwiete 1, 20095 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Kreyling
- University of Greifswald, Experimental Plant Ecology, Soldmannstraße 15, 17498 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Alexander Land
- University of Hohenheim, Institute of Biology (190a), Garbenstraße 30, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany
| | - Nicolas Latte
- Forest is Life, ULiège, Passage des Déportés 2, B-5030 Gembloux, Belgium
| | | | | | - Luis A Longares
- Dpto. de Geografía y Ordenación del Territorio, IUCA, Universidad de Zaragoza, C/ Pedro Cerbuna s/n, 50009 Zaragoza. Spain
| | | | - Annette Menzel
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Life Sciences, Ecoclimatology, Hans-Carl-v.-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Renzo Motta
- Department of Agricoltural Forest and Food Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Paolo Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | - Lena Muffler-Weigel
- Ecological-Botanical Garden, University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Paola Nola
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia, Via S. Epifanio 14, I-27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Momchil Panayatov
- University of Forestry, Dendrology Department, Forest Faculty, Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Any Mary Petritan
- National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry Marin Dracea, 13 Closca street, Brasov, Romania
| | - Ion Catalin Petritan
- Faculty of Silviculture and Forest Engineering, Department of Forest Engineering, Forest Management Planning and Terrestrial Measurements, Transilvania University of Braşov, Braşov, Romania
| | - Ionel Popa
- National Institute for Research and Development in Forestry Marin Dracea, 13 Closca street, Brasov, Romania; Center for Mountain Economy (CE-MONT), Vatra Dornei, Romania
| | - Cǎtǎlin-Constantin Roibu
- Forest Biometrics Laboratory, Faculty of Forestry, "Stefan cel Mare" University of Suceava, Universitatii street, no. 13, Suceava RO720229, Romania
| | - Álvaro Rubio-Cuadrado
- Departamento de Sistemas y Recursos Naturales, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería de Montes, Forestal y del Medio Natural, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Ciudad Universitaria s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Miloš Rydval
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamycka 129, Praha 6, Suchdol 16521, Czech Republic
| | - Tobias Scharnweber
- Institute for Botany and Landscape Ecology, University Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
| | - J Julio Camarero
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE), CSIC, Avda. Montañana 1005, 50080 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Miroslav Svoboda
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences, Czech University of Life Sciences, Kamycka 129, Praha 6, Suchdol 16521, Czech Republic
| | - Elvin Toromani
- Department of Forestry, Agricultural University Tirana, Tirana, Albania
| | - Volodymyr Trotsiuk
- Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, 8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | | | - Ernst van der Maaten
- Chair of Forest Growth and Woody Biomass Production, TU Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Robert Weigel
- Ecological-Botanical Garden, University of Bayreuth, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Martin Wilmking
- Institute for Botany and Landscape Ecology, University Greifswald, 17487 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Tzvetan Zlatanov
- Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, 2 Gagarin Street, 1113 Sofia, Bulgaria
| | - Anja Rammig
- Technical University of Munich, TUM School of Life Sciences, Land Surface-Atmosphere Interactions, Hans-Carl-v.-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Christian S Zang
- Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Sciences, Department of Forestry, Hans-Carl-v.-Carlowitz-Platz 3, 85354 Freising, Germany
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5
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Zhai L, Will RE, Zhang B. Structural diversity is better associated with forest productivity than species or functional diversity. Ecology 2024; 105:e4269. [PMID: 38361215 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.4269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2023] [Revised: 11/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/18/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the relationship between biodiversity and productivity can be advanced by improving metrics used to quantify biodiversity. Structural diversity, that is, variation of size and form of plant organs, is an emerging biodiversity metric. However, compared with the other biodiversity metrics, its relative importance in specific components of forest productivity, for example, recruitment of new individuals, biomass net change after accounting for mortality, is largely unknown, particularly across a large spatial scale with multiple influential gradients. To address the knowledge gap, we used USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data across the southcentral USA from 2008 to 2017. We calculated forest biomass increments due to recruitment and growth and net change in biomass. Then, we quantified the effects of a range of abiotic and biotic variables on the biomass increments and net change. Our results showed that (1) Structural diversity was negatively associated with the two biomass increments and net change in biomass. The negative effects were supported by increased occurrences of insects and diseases with greater structural diversity. (2) Compared with species and functional diversity, structural diversity showed a better association with biomass increments and net change, suggested by its larger absolute values of standardized coefficients, and the effects of structural diversity were negative in contrast to species diversity. (3) The effects of structural diversity, stand age, and elevation differed between natural and planted forests that may stem from the differences in stand development and species composition between the two forest types. Together, structural diversity may represent an important dimension of biodiversity impacts on plant productivity, which could be related to the exacerbated disturbances with greater structural diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lu Zhai
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Rodney E Will
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
| | - Bo Zhang
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA
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6
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Perret DL, Evans MEK, Sax DF. A species' response to spatial climatic variation does not predict its response to climate change. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2304404120. [PMID: 38109562 PMCID: PMC10769845 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2304404120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023] Open
Abstract
The dominant paradigm for assessing ecological responses to climate change assumes that future states of individuals and populations can be predicted by current, species-wide performance variation across spatial climatic gradients. However, if the fates of ecological systems are better predicted by past responses to in situ climatic variation through time, this current analytical paradigm may be severely misleading. Empirically testing whether spatial or temporal climate responses better predict how species respond to climate change has been elusive, largely due to restrictive data requirements. Here, we leverage a newly collected network of ponderosa pine tree-ring time series to test whether statistically inferred responses to spatial versus temporal climatic variation better predict how trees have responded to recent climate change. When compared to observed tree growth responses to climate change since 1980, predictions derived from spatial climatic variation were wrong in both magnitude and direction. This was not the case for predictions derived from climatic variation through time, which were able to replicate observed responses well. Future climate scenarios through the end of the 21st century exacerbated these disparities. These results suggest that the currently dominant paradigm of forecasting the ecological impacts of climate change based on spatial climatic variation may be severely misleading over decadal to centennial timescales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L. Perret
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI02912
| | | | - Dov F. Sax
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI02912
- Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, RI02912
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7
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Köbel M, Príncipe A, Soares C, Pinho P, Nunes A, Branquinho C. More than trees: Stand management can be used to improve ecosystem diversity, structure and functioning 20 years after forest restoration in drylands. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 902:166107. [PMID: 37562636 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.166107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023]
Abstract
In Mediterranean drylands, extensive areas have been restored by reforestation over the past decades to improve diversity, soil fertility, and tree natural regeneration, contributing to halting desertification and land degradation. However, evaluating reforestation success usually relies on tree survival, while holistic and long-term evaluations of reforestation success based on ecosystem diversity, structure and functioning are scarce. In this work, we provide the first assessment that combines the evaluation of planted trees and indicators of ecosystem diversity, structure, and functioning in established reforestations with three native Mediterranean species along a climatic gradient. We sampled 43 20-year-old stands with umbrella pine, holm oak and cork oak in Portugal, and tested the effects of tree species composition, stand management (i.e., differences in tree density and shrub cover), and edaphoclimatic conditions, on the size of planted trees, species diversity, structural complexity and indicators of ecosystem functioning related to productivity, soil nutrients and tree natural regeneration. Our results show that, after 20 years of reforestation, stand management was an essential driver of plant diversity and ecosystem functioning. Higher tree density, particularly of oaks, and higher shrub cover improved plant diversity, ecosystem productivity, and oak regeneration. The latter was also improved by structural complexity. Tree composition effects highlighted the importance of pine management to avoid competition. Since we evaluated these reforestations along a climatic gradient, we also conclude that climate influenced pine and holm oak size, ecosystem productivity, and soil C/N. Our research, by being based on assessing the long-term reforestation success in a more holistic way, highlighted the importance of stand management for improving ecosystem diversity and functioning in these restored systems. Practices such as increasing tree density up to ~800 trees/ha and allowing a shrub cover of ca. 30 %, may improve the ecological condition of future and currently reforested areas across the Mediterranean region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melanie Köbel
- cE3c - Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Adriana Príncipe
- cE3c - Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Cristina Soares
- cE3c - Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Pedro Pinho
- cE3c - Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Alice Nunes
- cE3c - Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Cristina Branquinho
- cE3c - Center for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal.
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8
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Moreno-de-Las-Heras M, Bochet E, Vicente-Serrano SM, Espigares T, Molina MJ, Monleón V, Nicolau JM, Tormo J, García-Fayos P. Drought conditions, aridity and forest structure control the responses of Iberian holm oak woodlands to extreme droughts: A large-scale remote-sensing exploration in eastern Spain. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2023; 901:165887. [PMID: 37517715 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how Mediterranean forests respond to the increasing frequency of extreme droughts and forest densification is crucial for effective land management in the present context of climate change and land abandonment. We study the responses of Iberian holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) woodlands to recent extreme droughts during 2000-2019 along broad gradients of climate aridity and forest structure. To this purpose, we apply large-scale remote-sensing using MODIS EVI as a primary production proxy in 5274 Q. ilex sites distributed within a 100,000 km2 region in eastern Spain. These woodlands were extensively affected by two extreme drought events in 2005 and 2012. Resistance, assessed as the capacity of the ecosystems to maintain primary production during drought, was significantly lower for semi-arid than for sub-humid and dry-transition conditions. Holm oak woodlands located in semi-arid areas of the region showed also poorer resilience to drought, characterized by low capacity to fully recover to their pre-drought production levels. Further, drought intensity and both pre- and post-drought hydric conditions controlled the variations of resistance, recovery and resilience between the two analyzed extreme drought events. Drought effects were particularly negative for dense Q. ilex stands under semi-arid climate conditions, where strong competition for scarce water resources reduced drought resistance. The observed drought vulnerability of semi-arid holm oak woodlands may affect the long-term stability of these dry forests. Adaptive management strategies, such as selective forest thinning, may be useful for improving drought responses in these more vulnerable semi-arid woodlands. Conversely, natural rewilding may more appropriately guide management actions for more humid areas, where densely developed Q. ilex woodlands show in general a high ability to maintain ecosystem primary production during drought.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Moreno-de-Las-Heras
- Mediterranean Environmental Research Group (GRAM), Department of Geography, University of Barcelona, 08001 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - E Bochet
- Desertification Research Center (CIDE, CSIC-UV-GV), 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain
| | - S M Vicente-Serrano
- Pyrenean Institute of Ecology (IPE-CSIC), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), 50059 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - T Espigares
- Department of Life Sciences, Universidad de Alcalá, 28871 Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, Spain
| | - M J Molina
- Desertification Research Center (CIDE, CSIC-UV-GV), 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain
| | - V Monleón
- US Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA
| | - J M Nicolau
- Department of Agrarian and Environmental Sciences, University of Zaragoza, 22071 Huesca, Spain; Environmental Sciences Institute of Aragon, University of Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - J Tormo
- Department of Agrarian and Environmental Sciences, University of Zaragoza, 22071 Huesca, Spain; Environmental Sciences Institute of Aragon, University of Zaragoza, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
| | - P García-Fayos
- Desertification Research Center (CIDE, CSIC-UV-GV), 46113 Moncada, Valencia, Spain
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9
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Chen L, Keski-Saari S, Kontunen-Soppela S, Zhu X, Zhou X, Hänninen H, Pumpanen J, Mola-Yudego B, Wu D, Berninger F. Immediate and carry-over effects of late-spring frost and growing season drought on forest gross primary productivity capacity in the Northern Hemisphere. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2023; 29:3924-3940. [PMID: 37165918 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Forests are increasingly exposed to extreme global warming-induced climatic events. However, the immediate and carry-over effects of extreme events on forests are still poorly understood. Gross primary productivity (GPP) capacity is regarded as a good proxy of the ecosystem's functional stability, reflecting its physiological response to its surroundings. Using eddy covariance data from 34 forest sites in the Northern Hemisphere, we analyzed the immediate and carry-over effects of late-spring frost (LSF) and growing season drought on needle-leaf and broadleaf forests. Path analysis was applied to reveal the plausible reasons behind the varied responses of forests to extreme events. The results show that LSF had clear immediate effects on the GPP capacity of both needle-leaf and broadleaf forests. However, GPP capacity in needle-leaf forests was more sensitive to drought than in broadleaf forests. There was no interaction between LSF and drought in either needle-leaf or broadleaf forests. Drought effects were still visible when LSF and drought coexisted in needle-leaf forests. Path analysis further showed that the response of GPP capacity to drought differed between needle-leaf and broadleaf forests, mainly due to the difference in the sensitivity of canopy conductance. Moreover, LSF had a more severe and long-lasting carry-over effect on forests than drought. These results enrich our understanding of the mechanisms of forest response to extreme events across forest types.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Chen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Joensuu Campus, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Sarita Keski-Saari
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Joensuu Campus, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
- Department of Geographical and Historical Studies, Joensuu Campus, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Sari Kontunen-Soppela
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Joensuu Campus, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Xudan Zhu
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Joensuu Campus, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Xuan Zhou
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Joensuu Campus, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Heikki Hänninen
- State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A & F University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Jukka Pumpanen
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Kuopio Campus, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Blas Mola-Yudego
- School of Forest Sciences, Joensuu Campus, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Di Wu
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Kuopio Campus, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Frank Berninger
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Joensuu Campus, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
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10
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Díaz‐Martínez P, Ruiz‐Benito P, Madrigal‐González J, Gazol A, Andivia E. Positive effects of warming do not compensate growth reduction due to increased aridity in Mediterranean mixed forests. Ecosphere 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Paloma Díaz‐Martínez
- Instituto de Ciencias Agrarias Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas Madrid Spain
| | - Paloma Ruiz‐Benito
- Forest Ecology and Restoration Group, Departamento de Ciencias de la Vida Universidad de Alcala Alcalá de Henares Spain
- Environmental Remote Sensing Research Group, Department of Geology, Geography and the Environment University of Alcala Alcalá de Henares Spain
| | | | - Antonio Gazol
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE‐CSIC) Zaragoza Spain
| | - Enrique Andivia
- Department of Biodiversity, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biological Sciences Universidad Complutense de Madrid Madrid Spain
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11
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Wu F, Jiang Y, Zhao S, Wen Y, Li W, Kang M. Applying space-for-time substitution to infer the growth response to climate may lead to overestimation of tree maladaptation: Evidence from the North American White Spruce Network. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:5172-5184. [PMID: 35714046 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2022] [Revised: 05/21/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Under climate change circumstances, increasing studies have reported the temporal instability of tree growth responses to climate, which poses a major challenge to linearly extrapolating past climate and future growth dynamics using tree-ring data. Space-for-time substitution (SFTS) is a potential solution to this problem that is widely used in the dendrochronology field to project past or future temporal growth response trajectories from contemporary spatial patterns. However, the projected accuracy of the SFTS in the climate effects on tree growth remains uncertain. Here, we empirically test the SFTS method by comparing the effect of spatial and temporal climate variations on climate responses of white spruce (Picea glauca), which has a transcontinental range in North America. We first applied a response surface regression model to capture the variations in growth responses along the spatial climate gradients. The results showed that the relationships between growth and June temperature varied along spatial climate gradients in a predictable way. And their relationships varied mainly along with local temperate condition. Then, the projected correlation coefficients between growth and climate using SFTS were compared against the observed. We found that the growth response changes caused by spatial versus temporal climate variations showed opposite trends. Moreover, the projected correlation coefficients using the SFTS were significantly lower than the observed. This finding suggests that applying the SFTS to project the growth response of white spruce might lead to an overestimation of the degree of tree maladaptation in future climate scenarios. And the overestimation is likely to get weaker from Alaska and Yukon Territory in the west to Quebec in the east. Although this is only a case study of the SFTS method for projecting tree growth response, our findings suggest that direct application of the SFTS method may not be applicable to all regions and all tree species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fang Wu
- State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Protection and Utilization, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuan Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Protection and Utilization, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Shoudong Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Severe Weather, Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yan Wen
- State Key Laboratory of Earth Surface Processes and Resource Ecology, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, China
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Protection and Utilization, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Wenqing Li
- Ministry of Natural Resources of the People's Republic of China, Key Laboratory of Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation, Land Consolidation and Rehabilitation Center, Beijing, China
| | - Muyi Kang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Traditional Chinese Medicine Protection and Utilization, Faculty of Geographical Science, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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12
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Liu P, Barr AG, Zha T, Black TA, Jassal RS, Nesic Z, Helgason WD, Jia X, Tian Y. Re-assessment of the climatic controls on the carbon and water fluxes of a boreal aspen forest over 1996-2016: Changing sensitivity to long-term climatic conditions. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY 2022; 28:4605-4619. [PMID: 35474386 DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that the relationships between climate and boreal tree growth are generally non-stationary; however, it remains uncertain whether the relationships between climate and carbon (C) fluxes of boreal forests are stationary or have changed over recent decades. In this study, we used continuous eddy-covariance and microclimate data over 21 years (1996-2016) from a 100-year-old trembling aspen stand in central Saskatchewan, Canada to assess the relationships between climate and ecosystem C and water fluxes. Over the study period, the most striking climatic event was a severe, 3-year drought (2001-2003). Gross ecosystem production (GEP) showed larger interannual variability than ecosystem respiration (Re ) over 1996-2016, but Re was the dominant component contributing to the interannual variation in net ecosystem production (NEP) during post-drought years. The interannual variations in evapotranspiration (ET) and C fluxes were primarily driven by temperature and secondarily by water availability. Two-factor linear models combining precipitation and temperature performed well in explaining the interannual variation in C and water fluxes (R2 > .5). The temperature sensitivities of all three C fluxes (NEP, GEP and Re ) declined over the study period (p < .05), and, as a result, the phenological controls on annual NEP weakened. The decreasing temperature sensitivity of the C fluxes may reflect changes in forest structure, related to the over-maturity of the aspen stand at 100 years of age, and exacerbated by high tree mortality following the severe 2001-2003 drought. These results may provide an early warning signal of driver shift or even an abrupt status shift of aspen forest dynamics. They may also imply a universal weakening in the relationship between temperature and GEP as forests become over-mature, associated with the structural and compositional changes that accompany forest ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peng Liu
- School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Alan G Barr
- Global Institute for Water Security, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Tianshan Zha
- School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - T Andrew Black
- Biometeorology and Soil Physics Group, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Rachhpal S Jassal
- Biometeorology and Soil Physics Group, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Zoran Nesic
- Biometeorology and Soil Physics Group, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Warren D Helgason
- Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Xin Jia
- School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Yun Tian
- School of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
- Beijing Engineering Research Center of Soil and Water Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
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13
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Gazol A, Camarero JJ, Sánchez-Salguero R, Zavala MA, Serra-Maluquer X, Gutiérrez E, de Luis M, Sangüesa-Barreda G, Novak K, Rozas V, Tíscar PA, Linares JC, Martínez Del Castillo E, Ribas M, García-González I, Silla F, Camison Á, Génova M, Olano JM, Hereş AM, Yuste JC, Longares LA, Hevia A, Galván JD, Ruiz-Benito P. Tree growth response to drought partially explains regional-scale growth and mortality patterns in Iberian forests. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2022; 32:e2589. [PMID: 35333426 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 10/18/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Tree-ring data has been widely used to inform about tree growth responses to drought at the individual scale, but less is known about how tree growth sensitivity to drought scales up driving changes in forest dynamics. Here, we related tree-ring growth chronologies and stand-level forest changes in basal area from two independent data sets to test if tree-ring responses to drought match stand forest dynamics (stand basal area growth, ingrowth, and mortality). We assessed if tree growth and changes in forest basal area covary as a function of spatial scale and tree taxa (gymnosperm or angiosperm). To this end, we compared a tree-ring network with stand data from the Spanish National Forest Inventory. We focused on the cumulative impact of drought on tree growth and demography in the period 1981-2005. Drought years were identified by the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index, and their impacts on tree growth by quantifying tree-ring width reductions. We hypothesized that forests with greater drought impacts on tree growth will also show reduced stand basal area growth and ingrowth and enhanced mortality. This is expected to occur in forests dominated by gymnosperms on drought-prone regions. Cumulative growth reductions during dry years were higher in forests dominated by gymnosperms and presented a greater magnitude and spatial autocorrelation than for angiosperms. Cumulative drought-induced tree growth reductions and changes in forest basal area were related, but initial stand density and basal area were the main factors driving changes in basal area. In drought-prone gymnosperm forests, we observed that sites with greater growth reductions had lower stand basal area growth and greater mortality. Consequently, stand basal area, forest growth, and ingrowth in regions with large drought impacts was significantly lower than in regions less impacted by drought. Tree growth sensitivity to drought can be used as a predictor of gymnosperm demographic rates in terms of stand basal area growth and ingrowth at regional scales, but further studies may try to disentangle how initial stand density modulates such relationships. Drought-induced growth reductions and their cumulative impacts have strong potential to be used as early-warning indicators of regional forest vulnerability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Gazol
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Zaragoza, Spain
| | | | - Raúl Sánchez-Salguero
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Zaragoza, Spain
- Departamento de Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Univ. Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Miguel A Zavala
- Universidad de Alcalá, Grupo de Ecología y Restauración Forestal, Departamento Ciencias de la Vida, Campus Universitario, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Emilia Gutiérrez
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Martín de Luis
- Departamento de Geografía y Ordenación del Territorio - IUCA, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Gabriel Sangüesa-Barreda
- Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Zaragoza, Spain
- EiFAB-iuFOR, Campus Duques de Soria, University of Valladolid, Soria, Spain
| | - Klemen Novak
- Department of Wood Science and Technology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Departamento de Ecología, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Vicente Rozas
- EiFAB-iuFOR, Campus Duques de Soria, University of Valladolid, Soria, Spain
| | - Pedro A Tíscar
- Centro de Capacitación y Experimentación Forestal, Cazorla, Spain
| | - Juan C Linares
- Departamento de Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales, Univ. Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain
| | | | - Montse Ribas
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Ignacio García-González
- Departamento de Botánica, Escola Politécnica Superior de Enxeñaría, Campus Terra, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain
| | - Fernando Silla
- Departamento de Biología Animal, Parasitología, Ecología, Edafología y Química Agrícola, Universidad de Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Álvaro Camison
- Ingeniería Forestal y del Medio Natural, Universidad de Extremadura, Plasencia, Spain
| | - Mar Génova
- Departamento de Sistemas y Recursos Naturales, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - José M Olano
- EiFAB-iuFOR, Campus Duques de Soria, University of Valladolid, Soria, Spain
| | - Ana-Maria Hereş
- Department of Forest Sciences, Transilvania University of Braşov, Braşov, Romania
- Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3), Leioa, Spain
| | - Jorge Curiel Yuste
- Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3), Leioa, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, Bilbao, Spain
| | - Luis A Longares
- Departamento de Geografía y Ordenación del Territorio - IUCA, Universidad de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Andrea Hevia
- Departamento de Ciencias Agroforestales, Universidad de Huelva, Huelva, Spain
| | | | - Paloma Ruiz-Benito
- Universidad de Alcalá, Grupo de Ecología y Restauración Forestal, Departamento Ciencias de la Vida, Campus Universitario, Madrid, Spain
- Remote Sensing Research Group, Department of Geology, Geography and Environment, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
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14
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Divergent Tree Growth and the Response to Climate Warming and Humidification in the Tianshan Mountains, China. FORESTS 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/f13060886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
In recent decades, the global climate has changed significantly. The climate in Northwest China became warm-wet, especially in the Tianshan Mountains. In order to explore the response of tree growth to recent climate change, the two dominant trees species, Picea schrenkiana Fisch. et Mey. and Larix sibirica Ledeb., were studied with the dendrochronological method in the western Tianshan Mountains (WT) and the eastern Tianshan Mountains (ET). Our results showed that: (1) The tree growth of four sample sites in the WT significantly increased in recent decades, while the trees in the three sample sites in the ET significantly decreased. (2) In the WT, except for the Manas site, the tree-ring chronologies of the other three sites were significantly positively correlated with the mean annual minimum temperature. Tree-ring chronologies in the WT, except for Bangfanggou site, were significantly positively correlated with annual precipitation. In the ET, only the tree chronology of L. sibirica in the Balikun site was significantly negatively correlated with the annual temperatures, including the mean minimum, mean and mean maximum temperature. (3) The proportion of trees with a significant upward growth trend at each site decreased from west to east, and the proportion of trees with a significant downward growth trend at each site increased from west to east along the whole Tianshan Mountains. (4) The correlation of tree-ring chronologies with the annual temperature and annual precipitation was not stable during the study period. Warm-humidification promoted the growth of trees in the WT but inhibited tree growth in the ET, which may be exacerbated drought stress in the ET where the increase in precipitation was not enough to offset the increased evapotranspiration potential caused by warming.
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15
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Identifying Forest Structural Types along an Aridity Gradient in Peninsular Spain: Integrating Low-Density LiDAR, Forest Inventory, and Aridity Index. REMOTE SENSING 2022. [DOI: 10.3390/rs14010235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Forest structure is a key driver of forest functional processes. The characterization of forest structure across spatiotemporal scales is essential for forest monitoring and management. LiDAR data have proven particularly useful for cost-effectively estimating forest structural attributes. This paper evaluates the ability of combined forest inventory data and low-density discrete return airborne LiDAR data to discriminate main forest structural types in the Mediterranean-temperate transition ecotone. Firstly, we used six structural variables from the Spanish National Forest Inventory (SNFI) and an aridity index in a k-medoids algorithm to define the forest structural types. These variables were calculated for 2770 SNFI plots. We identified the main species for each structural type using the SNFI. Secondly, we developed a Random Forest model to predict the spatial distribution of structural types and create wall-to-wall maps from LiDAR data. The k-medoids clustering algorithm enabled the identification of four clusters of forest structures. A total of six out of forty-one potential LiDAR metrics were utilized in our Random Forest, after evaluating their importance in the Random Forest model. Selected metrics were, in decreasing order of importance, the percentage of all returns above 2 m, mean height of the canopy profile, the difference between the 90th and 50th height percentiles, the area under the canopy curve, and the 5th and the 95th percentile of the return heights. The model yielded an overall accuracy of 64.18%. The producer’s accuracy ranged between 36.11% and 88.93%. Our results confirm the potential of this approximation for the continuous monitoring of forest structures, which is key to guiding forest management in this region.
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16
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SilvAdapt.Net: A Site-Based Network of Adaptive Forest Management Related to Climate Change in Spain. FORESTS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/f12121807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Adaptive forest management (AFM) is an urgent need because of the uncertainty regarding how changes in the climate will affect the structure, composition and function of forests during the next decades. Current research initiatives for the long-term monitoring of impacts of silviculture are scattered and not integrated into research networks, with the consequent losses of opportunities and capacity for action. To increase the scientific and practical impacts of these experiences, it is necessary to establish logical frameworks that harmonize the information and help us to define the most appropriate treatments. In this context, a number of research groups in Spain have produced research achievements and know-how during the last decades that can allow for the improvement in AFM. These groups address the issue of AFM from different fields, such as ecophysiology, ecohydrology and forest ecology, thus resulting in valuable but dispersed expertise. The main objective of this work is to introduce a comprehensive strategy aimed to study the implementation of AFM in Spain. As a first step, a network of 34 experimental sites managed by 14 different research groups is proposed and justified. As a second step, the most important AFM impacts on Mediterranean pines, as one of the most extended natural and planted forest types in Spain, are presented. Finally, open questions dealing with key aspects when attempting to implement an AFM framework are discussed. This study is expected to contribute to better outlining the procedures and steps needed to implement regional frameworks for AFM.
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Cao J, Liu H, Zhao B, Li Z, Liang B, Shi L, Wu L, Cressey EL, Quine TA. High forest stand density exacerbates growth decline of conifers driven by warming but not broad-leaved trees in temperate mixed forest in northeast Asia. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 795:148875. [PMID: 34247087 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/02/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Increasing temperature over recent decades is expected to positively impact tree growth in humid regions. However, high stand density could increase the negative effects of warming-induced drought through inter-tree competition. How neighborhood competition impacts tree growth responding to climate change remains unclear. Here, we utilized the Changbai Mountain region in northeastern Asia as our study area. We quantified individual tree growth using tree-ring samples collected from three dominant tree species growing in three forest stand density levels. We estimated the effects of climate warming and forest stand density on growth processes and tested for a species-specific response to climate. Our results demonstrated that overall 25% of Korean pine, but only ~3% of Mongolian oak and ~ 4% of Manchurian ash experienced growth reduction. Increased forest density can also exacerbate growth reduction. We identified a climate turning point in 1984, where warming rapidly increased, and defined two groups, "enhance group" (EG) and "decline group" (DG), according to the individual tree growth trend after 1984. For the EG, climate warming increased temperature sensitivity, but the temperature sensitivity declined with increasing stand density for the whole study period. For the DG, tree growth sensitivity shifted from temperature to precipitation after 1984, driven by increased competition pressure under climate warming. Our study concludes that growth decline from warming-induced drought might be amplified by high forest stand density, was especially pronounced in conifer trees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Cao
- College of Urban and Environmental Science, MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Hongyan Liu
- College of Urban and Environmental Science, MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Peking University, Beijing, China.
| | - Bo Zhao
- Qianyanzhou Ecological Research Station, Key Laboratory of Ecosystem Network Observation and Modeling, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zongshan Li
- State Key Laboratory of Urban and Regional Ecology, Research Center for Eco-Environmental Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Boyi Liang
- College of Urban and Environmental Science, MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Peking University, Beijing, China; Geography, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4RJ, United Kingdom
| | - Liang Shi
- College of Urban and Environmental Science, MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Lu Wu
- College of Urban and Environmental Science, MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Elizabeth L Cressey
- Geography, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4RJ, United Kingdom
| | - Timothy A Quine
- Geography, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4RJ, United Kingdom
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Salazar Zarzosa P, Diaz Herraiz A, Olmo M, Ruiz-Benito P, Barrón V, Bastias CC, de la Riva EG, Villar R. Linking functional traits with tree growth and forest productivity in Quercus ilex forests along a climatic gradient. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 786:147468. [PMID: 33975100 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147468] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 04/27/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Plant functional traits are highly plastic to changes in climatic factors and nutrient availability. However, the intraspecific plant response to abiotic factors and the overall effect on tree growth and productivity is still under debate. We studied forest productivity for 30 Quercus ilex subsp. ballota forests in Spain along a broad climatic gradient of aridity (mean annual precipitation from 321 to 858 mm). We used linear mixed models to quantify the effect of climatic and edaphic (soil nutrients, topography, and texture) factors on tree functional traits (leaf and branch traits), and subsequently, the effect of such functional traits and abiotic factors on the relative growth rate (RGR) of adult trees. We used piecewise structural equation models (SEMs) to determine the causal effect of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on forest productivity. Our results showed that tree functional traits were mainly explained by climatic and edaphic factors. Functional traits and tree biomass explained forest biomass and RGR, respectively, which ultimately explained forest productivity. In conclusion, intraspecific variability of functional traits has a significant effect on plant biomass and growth, which ultimately may explain forest productivity in Quercus ilex forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pablo Salazar Zarzosa
- Área de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, Spain.
| | - Aurelio Diaz Herraiz
- Área de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, Spain; Instituto Federal de Ciência e Tecnologia do Amazonas, Campus Humaitá, 69800.000, Brazil
| | - Manuel Olmo
- Área de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Paloma Ruiz-Benito
- Ecology and Forest Restoration Group, Life Science Department, University of Alcalá, Ctra. Madrid-Barcelona, Km. 33,600, 28805 Alcalá de Henares, Spain; Remote Sensing Research Group, Department of Geology, Geography and Environment, University of Alcalá, Calle Colegios 2, 28801 Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | - Vidal Barrón
- Departamento de Agronomía, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Agrónomos y de Montes, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
| | - Cristina C Bastias
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France; Departamento de Ingeniería Forestal, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica y de Montes, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Enrique G de la Riva
- Department of Ecology, Brandenburg University of Technology, 03046 Cottbus, Germany
| | - Rafael Villar
- Área de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Córdoba, Campus de Rabanales, 14071 Córdoba, Spain
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Díaz M, Sánchez-Mejía T, Morán-López T. Long-Term Tree Regeneration of Fragmented Agroforestry Systems Under Varying Climatic Conditions. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.640143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Iberian dehesas and montados are agroforestry systems protected by the European Habitats Directive due to high levels of biological diversity associated to their savannah-like structure. Tree scattering in dehesas, montados and other agroforestry systems is, however, known to compromise tree regeneration, although recent work suggests that it may protect tree populations from climate warming by alleviating plant-plant competition. We analyze how climatic conditions, tree isolation and their interactions influence the outcomes of regeneration stages, from flower production to early seedling establishment, using data gathered during the long-term monitoring (2001–2018) of ca. 300 Holm oak Quercus ilex trees located in central Spain. Holm oak reproductive effort, predispersal seed losses, and early seedling recruitment were sensitive to climate change, especially to year-round drought. Effort and early seedling recruitment decreased, while abortion and predispersal seed predation increased, with higher drought intensity. Spring warming increases pollination effectiveness, but had no further effect on acorn crops. Forest clearing seemed to have little scope to ameliorate these negative effects, as shown by weak or no interactive effects between the spatial configuration of trees (cover or isolation) and climate variables (spring temperature or drought intensity). Forest opening aimed at decreasing adult tree mortality under climate change scenarios would then have little or no effects on tree recruitment. Landscape-scale rotations alternating shrub encroachment and thinning along periods adapted to changing climate are proposed as the main management option to preserve both oak forests and dehesas in the long term.
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Impacts of Climate Change on Hydroclimatic Conditions of U.S. National Forests and Grasslands. FORESTS 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/f12020139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
The conterminous United States includes national forests and grasslands that provide ecological, social, economic, recreational, and aesthetic services. Future climate change can alter long-term hydroclimatic conditions of national forests and grasslands and lead to negative consequences. This study characterizes shifts in hydroclimatology and basin characteristics of US National Forests (NFs) and National Grasslands (NGs) in response to climate change over the 21st century under the DRY, MIDDLE, and WET climate models with the representative concentration pathway (RCP) 8.5 emission scenario. Climatic projections for three climate models ranging from the driest to wettest conditions were obtained from the Multivariate Adaptive Constructed Analogs (MACA) dataset. Then, the variable infiltration capacity (VIC) model was used to model hydrological responses of the selected future climates. Changes in regional hydroclimatic conditions of NFs and NGs were assessed by the magnitude and direction of movements in the Budyko space. The Fu’s equation was applied to estimate changes in basin characteristics. The results indicate that NFs and NGs are likely to experience larger changes in basin characteristics compared to the average of the United States. In general, across the conterminous US, the NFs in mountainous regions are likely to have larger changes in hydroclimatic variables than NFs with lower elevation and NGs. Comparing Forest Service regions, Pacific Northwest, Intermountain, and Northern regions may have a less arid climate with lower freshwater availability. The Southwestern, Northern, Intermountain, and Rocky Mountain regions are likely to experience higher shifts in their basin characteristics. This study can help environmental scientists, and land and water managers improve future land management plans.
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