Forests in the Pacific Northwest will be less vulnerable to drought and fire over the next three decades than those in the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada, computer modeling by researchers in Oregon State University’s College of Forestry shows.
Forests in the Pacific Northwest will be less vulnerable to drought and fire over the next three decades than those in the Rocky Mountains and Sierra Nevada, computer modeling by researchers in Oregon State University’s College of Forestry shows.
The findings, published today in Global Change Biology, represent an important tool for scientists and land managers because woodlands throughout the western United States are under increasing stress from accelerated rates of drought-related mortality related to global, human-caused climate change.
Also, the Northwest’s hemlock, Douglas-fir and redwood forests have tremendous potential to counteract climate change via their carbon-sequestration abilities, meaning policies that promote stewardship of those forests is critical, the scientists say.
“Recent prolonged droughts and catastrophic wildfires in the West have raised concerns about forest mortality and how that might impact forest structure and ecosystem services and also the economic vitality of nearby communities,” said corresponding author Polly Buotte of OSU’s Department of Forest Ecosystems and Society. “Forests in the West support high species diversity and some Pacific Northwest forests are among the highest carbon-density forests on Earth.”
Read more at Oregon State University
Photo Credit: Free-Photos via Pixabay
