Effects of climate change on forest vegetation [Chapter 6]

Abstract

Projected rapid changes in climate will affect vegetation assemblages in the Intermountain Adaptation Partnership (IAP) region directly and indirectly. Direct effects include altered vegetation growth, mortality, and regeneration, and indirect effects include changes in disturbance regimes (Chapter 8) and interactions with altered ecosystem processes (e.g., hydrology, snow dynamics, nonnative species) (Bonan 2008; Hansen and Phillips 2015; Hansen et al. 2001, 2016; Notaro et al. 2007). Some species may have decreased abundance, whereas others may expand their range (Landhäusser et al. 2010). New vegetation communities may form, and historical vegetation complexes may shift to other areas of the landscape or become rare. The consequences of land management policies and activities, including fire exclusion, fuels treatments, and grazing, interact with potential climate change effects.

Parent Publication

• Climate change vulnerability and adaptation in the Intermountain Region [Part 1]

Citation

Behrens, Patrick N.; Keane, Robert E.; Peterson, David L.; Ho, Joanne J. 2018. Effects of climate change on forest vegetation [Chapter 6]. In: Halofsky, Jessica E.; Peterson, David L.; Ho, Joanne J.; Little, Natalie, J.; Joyce, Linda A., eds. Climate change vulnerability and adaptation in the Intermountain Region [Part 1]. Gen. Tech. Rep. RMRS-GTR-375. Fort Collins, CO: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station. p. 112-164.