The Impact Of Climate Change On America S Forests

Abstract: "This report documents trends and impacts of climate change on America's forests as required by the Renewable Resources Planning Act of 1974. Recent research on the impact of climate and elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide on plant productivity is synthesized. Modeling analyses explore the potential impact of climate changes on forests, wood products, and carbon in the United States."

The increasing concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide has raised concern about the vulnerability of forests to potential changes in climate and climate variability. These concerns have prompted governments around the world to commission technical assessments on the impact of climate change on the environment and the economy. Based on the current scientific information within these assessments, governments have initiated negotiations on policy action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to address the vulnerabilities of the ecological, economic, and social systems to climate change. Critical to policy formulation is a periodic synthesis of the ever-expanding knowledge on forest ecology, the impact of climate on the forests and of forests on climate, forest management, the socio-economic value of trees and forests, and the role of forests in the global carbon cycle. The Forest Service conducts periodic assessments of the condition of forest and rangeland resources under the authority of the Renewable Resources Planning Act (RPA). The structure of these periodic assessments allows for the synthesis and integration of the current state of scientific knowledge. As part of the RPA process, this report synthesizes current information that assesses the impact of climate change on US forests. Six policy questions critical to understanding the impact of global climate change on current and future trends form the basis for this report. The first chapter describes mandates and structures of synthesizing scientific information on the forest sector, describes current understandings of the global climate, and closes with policy questions addressed in this assessment. The next chapters address the six policy questions of: what are the likely effects of increasing atmospheric carbon dioxide and prospective climate changes on ecosystem productivity, as measured by changes in net primary productivity?, to what geographic extent will potential ecosystem types change or move across the US, as measured in composition and boundary changes?, what changes in forest productivity will occur as measured by changes in volume, growth and biomass?, what are the potential impacts on the forest sector under climate change, as measured by employment and timber prices?, when forest policy questions for the RPA Assessment, such as reduced NFS harvest, are examined with and without climate change, do the forest sector impacts differ greatly in magnitude or kind?, and what are the opportunities and costs of emissions mitigation using forest ecosystem management and forest product technologies?

Reviews literature concerning the effects of global climate change on forest plants and communities, and provides opinions on the potential impacts that climate change may have on Ontario forests. Sections of the review discuss the following: the climate of Ontario in the 21st century as predicted by climate models; forest hydrology in relation to climate change; insects and climate change; impacts on fungi in the forest ecosystem; impacts on forest fires and their management; plant physiological responses; genetic implications of climate change; forest vegetation dynamics; the use of models in global climate change studies; and forest management responses to climate change.

Climate changes, particularly warming trends, have been recorded around the globe. For many countries, these changes in climate have become evident through insect epidemics (e.g., Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic in Western Canada, bark beetle in secondary spruce forests in Central Europe), water shortages and intense forest fires in the Mediterranean countries (e.g., 2005 droughts in Spain), and unusual storm activities (e.g., the 2004 South-East Asia Tsunami). Climate changes are expected to impact vegetation as manifested by changes in vegetation extent, migration of species, tree species composition, growth rates, and mortality. The International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has included discussions on how forests may be impacted, and how they may be used to mitigate the impacts of changes in climate, to possibly slow the rate of change. This book provides current scientific information on the biological and economical impacts of climate changes in forest environments, as well as information on how forest management activities might mitigate these impacts, particularly through carbon sequestration. Case studies from a wide geographic range are presented. This information is beneficial to managers and researchers interested in climate change and impacts upon forest environments and economic activities. This volume, which forms part of Springer’s book series Managing Forest Ecosystems, presents state-of-the-art research results, visions and theories, as well as specific methods for sustainable forest management in changing climatic conditions.

Climate change shaped the political agenda during the last decade with three issues as hot topics: commonly making the headlines: carbon budgets, impact and mitigation of climate change. Given the significant role that forests play in the climate system – as sources, sinks, and through carbon trading – this book update the current scientific evidences on the relationships between climate, forest resources and forest management practices around the world. By including the forest scientists’ expertise from around the world, the book presents and updates a depth analysis of the current knowledge, and a series of case studies focused on the biological and the economic impacts of climate change in forest ecosystems in Africa, Asia, Europe and North and South America. The book will form a valuable resource for researchers and advanced students dealing with sustainable forestry, climate change issues and the effects of climate change on natural resource management.