A forest’s ability to regenerate after devastating wildfires, droughts or other disturbances depends largely on seed production.
A forest’s ability to regenerate after devastating wildfires, droughts or other disturbances depends largely on seed production. Findings from two new studies led by Duke University researchers could boost recovery and replanting after these disasters by providing foresters with new guidance on which trees species produce more seeds and how their productivity can vary from location to location.
“Knowing which species produce more seeds and in which habitats helps us better understand how to manage for seed trees and optimize forest regeneration, especially in areas where seed is limited, like much of the western U.S.,” said James S. Clark, Nicholas Distinguished Professor of Environmental Science at Duke, who was corresponding author on both papers.
Clark and his colleagues published their peer-reviewed studies May 2 in Nature Communications and April 23 in Ecology Letters.
The studies come at a time of growing concern about many forests’ ability to recover from increasingly frequent and severe droughts and wildfires linked to climate change and increased harvesting to meet growing human demand for wood and other timber products.
Read more at: Duke University
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