Pest outbreak distribution and forest management impacts in a changing climate in British Columbia

Murdock, T. Q.; Taylor, Stephen; Flower, Aquila; Mehlenbacher, Alan; Montenegro, Álvaro; Zwiers, Francis W.; Alfaro, René I.; Spittlehouse, David L.

doi:10.1016/j.envsci.2012.07.026

Cited by 26 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…Climate change may also degrade forests, particularly those already under stress conditions, e.g. by changing the fire regime (Guiomar et al 2015); triggering pests/ diseases (Murdock et al 2013); favouring the establishment of invasive species (Afreen et al 2011); or inducing biodiversity losses (Afreen et al 2011). On the other hand, forests can help mitigating climate change, e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implications of future bioclimatic shifts on Portuguese forests

et al. 2016

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As climate is an important driver of vegetation distribution, climate change represents an important challenge to forestry. We (1) identify prevailing bioclimatic conditions for 49 relevant forest species in Portugal and (2) assess future shifts under climate change scenarios. We compute two bioclimatic indices (aridity and thermicity) and a new composite index, at *1 km spatial resolution, and overlap with the species' current ranges. Locations are based on a digital inventory, while climate parameters for both recent-past and future climates (2041-2060), under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5, are provided by a multi-model ensemble of climate simulations. Results for future scenarios highlight an overall warming and drying trend. Supramediterranean and mesomediterranean climates will be significantly reduced, while thermomediterranean climates will dramatically increase, from their almost absence in current conditions to an area coverage of *54 % in 2041-2060 for RCP8.5. There is also a clear shift from hyper-humid and humid to sub-humid and from the latter to semi-arid climates (area coverage of *13 % in 2041-2060 for RCP8.5). Lower thermomediterranean subhumid to semi-arid zones will cover the southern half of Portugal. These projections identify the most vulnerable (e.g. Betula pubescens, Quercus pyrenaica and Castanea sativa) and the most adapted (e.g. Quercus suber, Q. rotundifolia, Ceratonia siliqua, Pinus pinea, Quercus coccifera) species in future climates. Current bioclimatic zones associated with Eucalyptus globulus and Pinus pinaster, economically relevant species, will be moderately reduced and relocated. Possible adaptation measures are discussed to improve forest resilience to climate change, while maintaining its economic and environmental benefits.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Implications of future bioclimatic shifts on Portuguese forests

et al. 2016

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“…However, as pest risk is likely to increase in the future as a result of increased introduction of exotics and pest range expansion due to climate change (Murdock et al 2013), resistance breeding programs are likely to continue to contribute to the management of insect and diseases. Also, resistance to pests may be useful in tree planting programs aimed at climate change mitigation and to facilitate tree adaptation to new ranges through assisted migration.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Delivering Sitka spruce with resistance against white pine weevil in British Columbia, Canada

AlfaroRené

KingJohn

vanAkkerLara

2013

The Forestry Chronicle

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The Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis [Bong.] Carr) breeding program for resistance against the white pine weevil Pissodes strobi Peck (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is arguably one of the most successful pest resistance breeding programs for plantation forest species in North America, with a substantial proportion of the planting stock in BC and Washington State currently coming from this breeding program. Using conventional selection and breeding, and by screening Sitka spruce populations using artificial weevil infestations, we identified sources of heritable and stable weevil resistance. We also used this program to investigate potential causes behind this resistance and identified several heritable resistance mechanisms, including anatomical characteristics, such as constitutive resin canals and sclereid cells in the bark, terpene defenses and variation in tree phenology. We concluded that resistance is conferred by a suite of traits whose composition varies among resistant sources. In addition, we evaluated the efficiency of screening for resistance using weevil population enhancement as a screening method. Our results culminated in the establishment of seed orchards, and the availability of resistant seed that is contributing to the return of Sitka spruce as a species of choice in coastal British Columbia. Keywords: Picea sitchensis, Pissodes strobi, forest pest management, genetic resistanceDedication: This paper is dedicated to Dr. John Borden of Simon Fraser University (retired) who championed this topic and whose vision inspired so many entomologists in North America -René Alfaro. RÉSUMÉLe programme de sélection de l' épinette de Sitka (Picea sitchensis [Bong.] Carr) visant à accroître la résistance au charançon du pin blanc Pissodes strobi Peck (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) est sans aucun doute l'un des programmes de sélection pour la résistance aux ravageur qui a connu le plus de succès chez les espèces forestières utilisées en plantation en Amé-rique du Nord et il produit une partie importante des stocks plantés actuellement en C.-B. et dans l'État de Washington. En utilisant des méthodes de sélection et de culture classiques, et en soumettant les populations d' épinette de Sitka à des infestations artificielles de charançon, nous avons identifié des sources de résistance au charançon qui sont transmissibles et stables. Nous avons également utilisé ce programme pour étudier les causes potentielles de cette résistance et avons identifié quelques mécanismes de résistance transmissibles, notamment des caractéristiques anatomiques, comme les canaux résinifères transversaux et les cellules sclérites de l' écorce, les terpènes de défense et les variations dans la phéno-logie de l'arbre. Nous en concluons que la résistance vient d'un ensemble de traits dont la composition varie entre les sources résistantes. De plus, nous avons évalué l' efficacité du dépistage pour la résistance en intensifiant des populations de charançon pour effectuer criblage. Nos résultats ont mené à la création de vergers à graines...

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“…as the climate of changes in the next century (Turner , Murdock et al. ), attention to the disturbance–drought association, as well as the interactions among these disturbances, is essential.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Disturbance–climate relationships between wildfire and western spruce budworm in interior British Columbia

2018

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Abstract. Defoliation by the native western spruce budworm (Choristoneura freemani Razowski; WSB) and wildfires are natural disturbances affecting the structure and function of montane forests in British Columbia, Canada. Limited research describes the climate conditions associated with WSB outbreaks and historical fire activity in these forests, and the spatial stability of these relationships across landscapes. Site-specific and regional characterizations of these relationships are required to establish the historical baselines necessary to document disturbance-climate relationships within dry conifer forests. We compiled site-level and regionalized tree-ring chronologies of fire (AD 1600-2013) and WSB (AD 1600-2009) outbreaks for both lower montane forests adjacent to expansive grasslands and middle montane forests (regionalized grassland and non-grassland chronologies). At site and regional scales, the relation between fire years, outbreaks of WSB, reconstructed values of the Palmer Drought Severity Index, and annual precipitation were examined using superposed epoch and bivariate event analyses. Regional disturbance-climate relationships were used to evaluate the influence of grassland proximity on these relationships and the disturbance history characteristics. The findings show that fires affecting grassland proximal sites in lower montane forests were historically more frequent than fires occurring in middle montane forests and were related to warm, dry conditions in the fire year and cool, wet conditions in the year(s) preceding the fire. These results indicate the climate conditions associated with both fine fuel growth and drying are key determinants for fire activity in lower montane forests. The initiation of WSB outbreaks was significantly related to drought, and this relationship was enhanced at lower montane sites. We also examined the interrelationships between fire years and WSB outbreaks, but no associations were discerned. Considering the recent escalation of widespread forest fire activity in the Pacific Northwest of North America and the potential for timber losses associated with WSB defoliation, the findings provide information important to forest scientists charged with promoting forest health and resilience in the dry montane forests of interior British Columbia.

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Pest outbreak distribution and forest management impacts in a changing climate in British Columbia

Cited by 26 publications

References 32 publications

Implications of future bioclimatic shifts on Portuguese forests

Implications of future bioclimatic shifts on Portuguese forests

Delivering Sitka spruce with resistance against white pine weevil in British Columbia, Canada

Disturbance–climate relationships between wildfire and western spruce budworm in interior British Columbia

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