Assessing the influence of climate and pollution on the growth of northern hardwood trees

Abstract

As a result of climate change, temperature and precipitation levels in the northeastern United States have increased in recent decades, and they are projected to continue to do so in the decades ahead (Janowiak et al. 2018). Projected changes include increases in maximum, minimum and average temperatures, with the greatest increases forecast for winter (Janowiak et al. 2018). Precipitation inputs are also expected to generally increase, though inputs may be more intense (leading to greater runoff and less soil infiltration) and episodic - creating intermittent droughts (Janowiak et al. 2018). Combined changes in temperature and precipitation may converge to cause more precipitation to fall as rain versus snow, resulting in reduced depths and durations of snowpack in regional forests (Janowiak et al. 2018). Although for some species there have been reports of improved tree growth with greater moisture availablity (Stern et al. 2020, Stern et al. 2021) and reduced growth with shrinking snowpacks (Comerford et al. 2013), analyses of how changing climate may influence the productivity of trees more generally in the northern hardwood forest have been limited.

Citation

Schaberg, Paul G.; Murakami, Paula F.; Stern, Rebecca L.; Hansen, Christopher F.; Hawley, Gary J. 2023. Assessing the influence of climate and pollution on the growth of northern hardwood trees. New England Society of American Foresters News Quarterly. 84(1): 16–18.