Seven Ways a Warming Climate Can Kill the Southern Boreal Forest
The southern boreal forests of North America are susceptible to large changes in composition as temperate forests or grasslands may replace them as the climate warms. A number of mechanisms for this have been shown to occur in recent years: (1) Gradual replacement of boreal trees by temperate trees...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2021-04-01
|
| Series: | Forests |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/5/560 |
| _version_ | 1797535680790790144 |
|---|---|
| author | Lee E. Frelich Rebecca A. Montgomery Peter B. Reich |
| author_facet | Lee E. Frelich Rebecca A. Montgomery Peter B. Reich |
| author_sort | Lee E. Frelich |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The southern boreal forests of North America are susceptible to large changes in composition as temperate forests or grasslands may replace them as the climate warms. A number of mechanisms for this have been shown to occur in recent years: (1) Gradual replacement of boreal trees by temperate trees through gap dynamics; (2) Sudden replacement of boreal overstory trees after gradual understory invasion by temperate tree species; (3) Trophic cascades causing delayed invasion by temperate species, followed by moderately sudden change from boreal to temperate forest; (4) Wind and/or hail storms removing large swaths of boreal forest and suddenly releasing temperate understory trees; (4) Compound disturbances: wind and fire combination; (5) Long, warm summers and increased drought stress; (6) Insect infestation due to lack of extreme winter cold; (7) Phenological disturbance, due to early springs, that has the potential to kill enormous swaths of coniferous boreal forest within a few years. Although most models project gradual change from boreal forest to temperate forest or savanna, most of these mechanisms have the capability to transform large swaths (size range tens to millions of square kilometers) of boreal forest to other vegetation types during the 21st century. Therefore, many surprises are likely to occur in the southern boreal forest over the next century, with major impacts on forest productivity, ecosystem services, and wildlife habitat. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:48:48Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0f2cb1d489f3467488137e7c3139e53a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4907 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T11:48:48Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Forests |
| spelling | doaj.art-0f2cb1d489f3467488137e7c3139e53a2023-11-21T17:50:00ZengMDPI AGForests1999-49072021-04-0112556010.3390/f12050560Seven Ways a Warming Climate Can Kill the Southern Boreal ForestLee E. Frelich0Rebecca A. Montgomery1Peter B. Reich2Department of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, 1530 Cleveland Ave N, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USADepartment of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, 1530 Cleveland Ave N, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USADepartment of Forest Resources, University of Minnesota, 1530 Cleveland Ave N, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USAThe southern boreal forests of North America are susceptible to large changes in composition as temperate forests or grasslands may replace them as the climate warms. A number of mechanisms for this have been shown to occur in recent years: (1) Gradual replacement of boreal trees by temperate trees through gap dynamics; (2) Sudden replacement of boreal overstory trees after gradual understory invasion by temperate tree species; (3) Trophic cascades causing delayed invasion by temperate species, followed by moderately sudden change from boreal to temperate forest; (4) Wind and/or hail storms removing large swaths of boreal forest and suddenly releasing temperate understory trees; (4) Compound disturbances: wind and fire combination; (5) Long, warm summers and increased drought stress; (6) Insect infestation due to lack of extreme winter cold; (7) Phenological disturbance, due to early springs, that has the potential to kill enormous swaths of coniferous boreal forest within a few years. Although most models project gradual change from boreal forest to temperate forest or savanna, most of these mechanisms have the capability to transform large swaths (size range tens to millions of square kilometers) of boreal forest to other vegetation types during the 21st century. Therefore, many surprises are likely to occur in the southern boreal forest over the next century, with major impacts on forest productivity, ecosystem services, and wildlife habitat.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/5/560climate changecompound disturbancefireinsect infestationphenological disturbancewind |
| spellingShingle | Lee E. Frelich Rebecca A. Montgomery Peter B. Reich Seven Ways a Warming Climate Can Kill the Southern Boreal Forest Forests climate change compound disturbance fire insect infestation phenological disturbance wind |
| title | Seven Ways a Warming Climate Can Kill the Southern Boreal Forest |
| title_full | Seven Ways a Warming Climate Can Kill the Southern Boreal Forest |
| title_fullStr | Seven Ways a Warming Climate Can Kill the Southern Boreal Forest |
| title_full_unstemmed | Seven Ways a Warming Climate Can Kill the Southern Boreal Forest |
| title_short | Seven Ways a Warming Climate Can Kill the Southern Boreal Forest |
| title_sort | seven ways a warming climate can kill the southern boreal forest |
| topic | climate change compound disturbance fire insect infestation phenological disturbance wind |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/5/560 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT leeefrelich sevenwaysawarmingclimatecankillthesouthernborealforest AT rebeccaamontgomery sevenwaysawarmingclimatecankillthesouthernborealforest AT peterbreich sevenwaysawarmingclimatecankillthesouthernborealforest |