Pervasive shifts in forest dynamics in a changing world

Nate McDowell, Craig Allen, Kristina Anderson-Teixeira, Brian Aukema, Ben Bond-Lamberty, Louise Chini, Michael Dietze, Charlotte Grossiord, Adam Hanbury-Brown, George Hurtt, Robert Jackson, Daniel Johnson, Lara Kueppers, Jeremy Lichstein, Kiona Ogle, Ben Poulter, Thomas Pugh, Rupert Seidl, Monica Turner, Maria UriarteAnthony Walker, Chonggang Xu, James S Clark

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

86 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

Forest dynamics arise from the interplay of environmental drivers and disturbances with the demographic processes of recruitment, growth, and mortality, subsequently driving biomass and species composition. However, forest disturbances and subsequent recovery are shifting with global changes in climate and land use, altering these dynamics. Changes in environmental drivers, land use, and disturbance regimes are forcing forests toward younger, shorter stands. Rising carbon dioxide, acclimation, adaptation, and migration can influence these impacts. Recent developments in Earth system models support increasingly realistic simulations of vegetation dynamics. In parallel, emerging remote sensing datasets promise qualitatively new and more abundant data on the underlying processes and consequences for vegetation structure. When combined, these advances hold promise for improving the scientific understanding of changes in vegetation demographics and disturbances.
Original languageEnglish
Article numbereaaz9463
Number of pages12
JournalScience
Volume368
Issue number6494
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 29 May 2020

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