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HERO ID
7302333
Reference Type
Journal Article
Title
Evidence for declining forest resilience to wildfires under climate change
Author(s)
Stevens-Rumann, CS; Kemp, KB; Higuera, PE; Harvey, BJ; Rother, MT; Donato, DC; Morgan, P; Veblen, TT
Year
2018
Is Peer Reviewed?
Yes
Journal
Ecology Letters
ISSN:
1461-023X
EISSN:
1461-0248
Volume
21
Issue
2
Page Numbers
243-252
Language
English
PMID
29230936
DOI
10.1111/ele.12889
Web of Science Id
WOS:000425823900010
Abstract
Forest resilience to climate change is a global concern given the potential effects of increased disturbance activity, warming temperatures and increased moisture stress on plants. We used a multi-regional dataset of 1485 sites across 52 wildfires from the US Rocky Mountains to ask if and how changing climate over the last several decades impacted post-fire tree regeneration, a key indicator of forest resilience. Results highlight significant decreases in tree regeneration in the 21st century. Annual moisture deficits were significantly greater from 2000 to 2015 as compared to 1985-1999, suggesting increasingly unfavourable post-fire growing conditions, corresponding to significantly lower seedling densities and increased regeneration failure. Dry forests that already occur at the edge of their climatic tolerance are most prone to conversion to non-forests after wildfires. Major climate-induced reduction in forest density and extent has important consequences for a myriad of ecosystem services now and in the future.
Keywords
Climate change; forest recovery; forest resilience; tree regeneration; wildfire
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Other
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