Climate driven changes in Engelmann spruce stands at timberline in the La Sal Mountains

James F. Fowler; Steven T. Overby; Barb Smith

Treesearch

Climate driven changes in Engelmann spruce stands at timberline in the La Sal Mountains

Informally Refereed

Authors:

James F. Fowler, Steven T. Overby, Barb Smith

Year:

2012

Type:

Miscellaneous

Station:

Rocky Mountain Research Station

Source:

Final Report. Moab, UT: Canyonlands Natural History Association. 21 p.

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Download (PDF 725 KB): https://research.fs.usda.gov/download/treesearch/43451.pdf

Abstract

Due to global warming spruce-fir forest and associated vegetation may experience elevational displacement and altered species composition at the timberline-treeline ecotone. These forests and their component species are predicted to migrate upslope and thus landscape features such as timberline and treeline may move upslope as well. Prior to this study, baseline data on forest stand structure, plant species distributions, soil temperatures, and soil carbon pools did not exist across these habitats in the La Sal Mountains. This study will provide data that allows land managers, researchers, and conservationists to better assess the degree of change in and the resilience of these high elevation plant communities via repeated measurements to detect specific local change over time.

Keywords

climate change, Engelmann spruce, La Sal Mountains

Citation

Fowler, James F.; Overby, Steven; Smith, Barb. 2012. Climate driven changes in Engelmann spruce stands at timberline in the La Sal Mountains. Final Report. Moab, UT: Canyonlands Natural History Association. 21 p.