An indicator of tree migration in forests of the eastern United States

Woodall, Christopher W.; Oswalt, Christopher M.; Westfall, James A.; Perry, Charles H.; Nelson, Mark D.; Finley, Andrew O.

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2008.12.013

Cited by 207 publications

(243 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Broad-scale assessment of tree latitudinal shifts over recent time remains difficult, however, because of insufficient data coverage (Shoo et al 2006), lack of consistency in survey methodology (Woodall et al 2008), and/ or imprecise recording of survey locations (Tingley and Beissinger 2009). To circumvent the lack of temporal data, recent studies have compared the spatial distribution of juvenile trees (e.g., seedlings or saplings) with that of mature trees of the same species (Woodall et al 2009, Zhu et al 2012, Woodall et al 2013, Zhu et al 2014) for a given time period. In these studies, juvenile trees are seen as being indicative of recent and possibly future migration trends, whereas mature trees are indicative of past conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting with climate? Evidence for recent changes in tree species distribution at high latitudes

2014

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Citation: Boisvert-Marsh, L., C. Périé, S. de Blois. 2014. Shifting with climate? Evidence for recent changes in tree species distribution at high latitudes. Ecosphere 5(7):83. http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES14-00111.1Abstract. Warming has been particularly strong at high latitudes in recent decades and bioclimatic models predict northern shifts in optimal conditions for most species. Climate is a strong predictor of site occupancy for trees at broad spatial scales and interacts with other drivers of forest dynamics. Recent changes in distribution and occupancy patterns should therefore provide the best evidence of a tree species' potential to shift in the direction predicted by bioclimatic models. Studies examining recent distribution changes for plants, however, have mostly done so along altitudinal gradients or have used the latitudinal position of juvenile trees relative to adult ones to infer range dynamics. This study provides rare evidence of latitudinal shifts for 11 northern tree species by assessing recent changes in distribution using globally significant inventories from 1970 to 2002. It also compares observed trends with those inferred from the position of juveniles relative to trees in a single survey. Samplings cover 6456 forest plots in temperate and boreal forests up to treeline in eastern North America. The average overall latitudinal shift was 3.07 6 4.37 km northward although responses were species-specific. Shifts were detected more for juvenile than for adult trees and significant northward ones were detected more at northern range limits than at the median. All species demonstrated increased frequency of plot occupancy for saplings while occupancy generally decreased for adult trees. Five out of the 11 species examined (Acer rubrum, Acer saccharum, Betula papyrifera, Fagus grandifolia, and Populus tremuloides) showed significant distributional shifts consistent with northward migration. Saplings of Abies balsamea, Picea glauca, and Picea mariana, on the other hand, showed southward shifting trends. Natural and human disturbances undoubtedly interact with climate to determine forest dynamics; this study shows whether their combined effect can shift distribution in the direction predicted by bioclimatic models. Only continued monitoring will reveal whether these observations are just transient dynamics or indicative of shifting range in this century. Our study provides a benchmark against which to assess future observations of latitudinal shifts for trees.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shifting with climate? Evidence for recent changes in tree species distribution at high latitudes

2014

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“…An altitudinal advance of saplings over trees has been shown in the Scandes (Hofgaard et al 2009), where advanced sapling occurrences were attributed a key role in treeline response to warming climate. Woodall et al (2009) found significant northward advances of saplings over trees in boreal species of North America. The fact that Lenoir et al (2009) found only insignificant advances of seedlings at upper limits in French mountains is attributable to the exclusion of plots in the treeline ecotone.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 92%

Vegetation databases provide a close-up on altitudinal tree species distribution in the Bavarian Alps

Ewald¹

2012

Biodivers. Ecol.

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Thermal limits of tree species are of paramount interest in monitoring and projecting effects of climate warming. Based on the large phytosociological database BERGWALD, a database of forest inventory plots, and phytosociological tables of vegetation above treeline, tree species occurrence along a regional elevation gradient was assessed separately for tree and regeneration layer individuals. Upper limits in the database were compared to altitudinal limits given in Oberdorfer's regional flora and to northern latitudinal limits given in worldwide distribution maps. For 26 of 32 tree species, the known distribution limits had to be raised based on plot data, demonstrating the high potential of vegetation databases to deliver ecological information. In most species, regeneration layer occurrences markedly exceeded the altitudinal limit of trees, indicating a potential for rather rapid advances of treelines under climate warming. Regional altitudinal and global latitudinal limits were quite closely related in the majority of tree species. However, several tree species climb to much higher elevation in the Alps than their latitudinal limits suggest. The boreal-subalpine mismatch in cold limits is only partly explained by vicariism and endemism. Sorbus aria, Acer pseudoplatanus, Fagus sylvatica and Taxus baccata are important elements of temperate mountain forests, which do not reach thermally equivalent northern latitudes for unknown reasons.

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“…Major landscape-level changes have occurred since introduction of blight that may influence which specific regions and site types should be ideally targeted for restoration. Climate change is among the most prominent examples and FIA data are currently being used to examine potential range shifts in response to this phenomenon [25,26]. Our data can serve as a baseline for similar studies in C. dentata.…”

Section: Density and Distribution Of Castanea Dentatamentioning

confidence: 89%

“…Such changes in temperatures are expected to shift range distributions of species, including forest trees. FIA data have been used to examine indirect evidence for tree range shifts in response to climate change [25,26]. Woodall et al [25] present evidence that 70% of the 15 northern species they examined are shifting northward, while the 15 southern species' ranges remain mostly unchanged.…”

Section: Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

“…FIA data have been used to examine indirect evidence for tree range shifts in response to climate change [25,26]. Woodall et al [25] present evidence that 70% of the 15 northern species they examined are shifting northward, while the 15 southern species' ranges remain mostly unchanged. In an updated analysis using the most recent seedling FIA datasets, Zhu et al [26] argue that 58% of the 92 species examined showed evidence of range contraction while only 20% display the expected pattern for northward range expansion.…”

Section: Climatementioning

confidence: 99%

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Consequences of Shifts in Abundance and Distribution of American Chestnut for Restoration of a Foundation Forest Tree

Dalgleish

Nelson

Scrivani

et al. 2015

Forests

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Abstract:Restoration of foundation species, such as the American chestnut (Castanea dentata) that was devastated by an introduced fungus, can restore ecosystem function. Understanding both the current distribution as well as biogeographic patterns is important for restoration planning. We used United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis data to quantify the current density and distribution of C. dentata. We then review the literature concerning biogeographic patterns in C. dentata. Currently, 431˘30.2 million stems remain. The vast majority (360˘22 million) are sprouts <2.5 cm dbh. Although this number is approximately 10% of the estimated pre-blight population, blight has caused a major shift in the size structure. The current-day population has a larger range, particularly west and north, likely due to human translocation. While climate change could facilitate northward expansion, limited seed reproduction makes this unlikely without assisted migration. Previous research demonstrates that the current, smaller population contains slightly higher genetic diversity than expected, although little information exists on biogeographic patterns in the genetics of adaptive traits. Our research provides a baseline characterization of the contemporary population of C. dentata, to enable monitoring stem densities and range limits to support restoration efforts.

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An indicator of tree migration in forests of the eastern United States

Cited by 207 publications

References 35 publications

Shifting with climate? Evidence for recent changes in tree species distribution at high latitudes

Shifting with climate? Evidence for recent changes in tree species distribution at high latitudes

Vegetation databases provide a close-up on altitudinal tree species distribution in the Bavarian Alps

Consequences of Shifts in Abundance and Distribution of American Chestnut for Restoration of a Foundation Forest Tree

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