Forest Disturbances in a Changing Climate
(click to download a formatted pdf of this complete article or a one-page synopsis) By Jennifer Hushaw Disturbance shapes the character and composition of ecosystems and it is “a pervasive feature of forests” (Perry 1994). Wildfires, blowdowns, pests and other disturbance agents affect the spatial patterns of vegetation and ecosystem processes, creating a diversity of […]
New Evidence of Tree Species on the Move
(click to download a pdf of this complete article or download a one-page synopsis) By Jennifer Hushaw There has been significant debate and research about where, how quickly, and to what degree our forests will shift with the changing climate. These questions have primarily been tackled through modeling (e.g., see Modeling Future Forests bulletin) or […]
Shifting Phenology in a Changing Climate
(click here to download a pdf of this full article or a one-page synopsis) By Jennifer Hushaw Phenology is the study of the seasonal rhythms of plants and animals, especially the timing of natural cycles as related to weather and climate. It is a sensitive indicator of climate change, with far reaching implications for ecosystem processes, […]
Attributing Extremes to Climate Change
(click here to download a formatted pdf of this full article or a one-page synopsis) By Jennifer Hushaw In previous bulletins, we described how climate change is altering the frequency and intensity of certain types of extreme weather (see Climate Change and Extreme Weather: Part 1) and how these extremes shape plant communities, forest health, […]
Wildfire in a Warming World: Part 2
(click here to download a pdf of this complete article or a one-page synopsis) By Jennifer Hushaw & Si Balch In Part I, we discussed the recent rise in U.S. wildfire, the evidence suggesting climate is a major driver of that increase, and the reality that future increases in temperature and drought frequency (in some […]
Wildfire in a Warming World: Part 1
(click here to download a pdf of the full article or a one-page synopsis) By Jennifer Hushaw Wildfire has been a hot topic in the media lately, with California ablaze due to a combination of dangerous fire weather, on-going drought, and scores of drought- and beetle-killed trees. Most recently, the Blue Cut Fire (pictured above) […]
Resiliency Assessment Framework
(click here to download a pdf of this complete article) By Eric Walberg Introduction Optimizing forest management to account for the risks and opportunities posed by climate change is a challenge on many fronts. Limitations in the precision of climate models, uncertainties about natural system response, and the need to integrate climate concerns with other […]
Climate Change & Forest Productivity
By Jennifer Hushaw Considerable attention has been paid to understanding how climate change may alter the abundance and distribution of tree species, as discussed in our previous bulletin on modeling future forests, but an equally important consideration is how climate change may alter productivity. Research suggests climate change has the potential to affect not just […]
Carbon Markets and Forests: What Does the Future Hold?
(click here to download a pdf of this complete article) By Eric Walberg Introduction Global efforts to reduce carbon emissions are ramping up and carbon markets will play an increasingly important role in limiting warming to the 2 degree C ceiling established by the Paris Climate Agreement. I participated in the largest annual North American […]
Modeling Future Forests
(click here to download a pdf of the full article or a one-page synopsis) By Jennifer Hushaw Understanding how forests responded to past changes in the Earth’s climate has been a long-standing area of research, but in recent years there has also been growing interest in anticipating how modern climate change may lead to shifts […]
Climate Change & Wildlife Impacts: Part 2
(click to download formatted pdfs of this full article or a one-page synopsis) By Jennifer Hushaw, Si Balch, and Eric Walberg In Part I of this bulletin, we described how climate change may soon rival human influence as the biggest driver of biodiversity change, and in this piece we look more closely at the links […]
Climate Change & Wildlife Impacts: Part 1
(click here to download a pdf of this full article or a one-page synopsis) By Jennifer Hushaw Climate change may soon outmatch traditional human influence as the biggest driver of change in biological diversity (i.e. biodiversity) over the coming century (Bellard et al 2012; Jones et al 2016). We will see dynamic changes as some […]
Climate Change and Extreme Weather, Part 2: Forest Impacts
(click here to download a pdf of the full article, or a one-page synopsis) By Jennifer Hushaw In Part I of this bulletin, we described why and how we expect to see an increase in the frequency and intensity of some extreme weather and climate events as the planet warms. We examined the observed and […]
The Paris Climate Conference and Forests: Ramifications of the Agreement
(click here to download a pdf of this article) By Eric Walberg The Paris Agreement was unanimously approved by delegates to COP21 and the role of forests in climate regulation is highlighted in several sections of the document. The Agreement is precedent setting in that it signals a global transition to a low carbon economy […]
Climate Change and Extreme Weather, Part 1: Trends & Projections
By Jennifer Hushaw (click here to download a pdf of the full article or a one-page synopsis) As the climate changes, we will not only experience a gradual change in average conditions, but also an increase in the frequency and intensity of some types of extreme weather and climate events. A number of these observed […]
The Role of Forests in the Paris Climate Conference
By Eric Walberg (click here to download a printable pdf of this article) Introduction The Paris Climate Conference, officially known as the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21), will be held November 30 – December 11 in Le Bourget, France. The goals for the conference, as stated by French Minister of Foreign Affairs Laurent Fabius, […]
El Niño Update
October 2015 (click here to download a pdf of this article) El Niño is the warm phase of an ocean-atmosphere circulation pattern in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, known as the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), which is responsible for a large fraction of the year-to-year variability in global climate. In previous CSLN bulletins we have highlighted […]
Forest Pests and Climate Change
(Click to download a pdf of this full article or a one-page synopsis) By Jennifer Hushaw Part 1: Overview of Climate-Pest Interactions Among the many potential impacts of climate change, changes in insect and disease populations rise to the top as the most immediate and possibly significant impact on our forests. This is because of […]
New Forest Monitoring Information
Implementing simple and cost-effective forest monitoring is an important part of climate-smart management, as it helps practitioners move beyond anecdotal observations to real baseline data and provides a mechanism for feedback over time. A helpful one-page document with a summary of these ideas and some example monitoring protocols can be downloaded here.
Certainty and Uncertainty in Climate Change and Forest Response Part 2: The Forest Response
By Jennifer Hushaw & Si Balch (Click to download a pdf of this complete article or a one-page synopsis) Even if we could perfectly predict the details of future climate change, there would still be uncertainty about how ecological systems will respond. Most of the information we have about how forests respond to long-term climatic changes […]
Certainty and Uncertainty in Climate Change and Forest Response Part 1: The Climate System
By Jennifer Hushaw (Click to download a pdf of this complete article or a one-page synopsis) While the basic mechanics of climate change are well understood, uncertainties associated with future greenhouse gas emission rates and various climate system feedbacks make it difficult to know the exact rate and extent of warming. Understanding both the degree and […]
Global Precipitation Part 2: Ecosystem & Management Implications
By Jennifer Hushaw This bulletin is the second in a two part piece on changes in global precipitation. In it, we discuss how water availability shapes forests and recent observations of forest decline linked to drought and heat stress. We then turn our attention to the issue of drought, including the factors that contribute to […]
Global Precipitation Part 1: Trends & Projections
By Jennifer Hushaw The discussion of global precipitation will be covered in two parts. This bulletin (part one) provides an overview of the precipitation trends observed over the last century, as well as projections of future change. Part two will cover a range of forest ecosystem and management implications of changing precipitation patterns and drought […]
Global Temperature Part 2: Future Projections
By Jennifer Hushaw In the January bulletin, we focused on global trends in the modern temperature record. Now we look ahead to what climate models can tell us about the future of global temperature. (click here to download a PDF of this article or a one-page synopsis) Climate Modeling Explained From economic forecasting to […]
Global Temperature Part 1: Observed Trends
By Jennifer Hushaw In this bulletin, we explore how the average global surface temperature has changed historically and how these changes have affected forest ecosystems. We discuss the challenge of projecting future temperature trends in next month’s bulletin. (click to download a pdf of this article or a one-page synopsis) 2014 Recap It seems fitting […]
Ecologically-Relevant Changes in Temperature Variability
By Jennifer Hushaw (click to download a pdf of this article or a one-page synopsis) The majority of the conversation about global or regional temperature involves discussion about how the average annual or monthly temperature has changed over time. However, for many organisms it is actually the range of temperatures they experience throughout the day […]
Managing Forest Stands to Minimize Wind and Ice/Heavy Snow Damage: Part Two
By Si Balch (click to download a one-page synopsis of this article) This CSLN Bulletin provides a synopsis of management actions that can be employed to maximize the resiliency of forest stands to damage by wind, ice and heavy snow. The goal is the development of forest stands and trees that can withstand 70 MPH […]
U.S./China Announcement on Climate Change Cooperation: Implications for the Forest Industry
By Eric Walberg and Jennifer Hushaw President Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping jointly announced a plan to cooperate on climate change and clean energy issues at the conclusion of their November 9th – 11th meeting in Beijing. The new U.S. target is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25% below 2005 levels by 2025. […]
Managing Forest Stands for Wind and Ice/Heavy Snow Damage – two threats likely to increase with climate change
By Si Balch (click to download a one-page synopsis of this article) This Bulletin will be delivered in two parts; Part 1 provides background on stand and tree vulnerability to wind damage, Part 2 will cover management practices to enhance resiliency to wind damage with the goal of stands capable of withstanding 70 MPH wind […]
Stream Crossings and Climate Change (Part 2)
By Si Balch and Eric Walberg (click to download a one-page synopsis of this article) The August 2014 Climate Smart Land Network Bulletin provided an introduction to stream crossings and climate change. The September Bulletin provides additional detail on using watershed and stream corridor characteristics to design and size stream crossings that perform well in […]
Stream Crossings and Climate Change (Part 1)
By Eric Walberg and Si Balch (click to download a one-page synopsis of this article) Several aspects of climate change should be considered in the design and construction of stream crossings for forest access. These factors include both the need to plan for resilient structures against the backdrop of continued change in precipitation patterns and […]
Mountain Pine Beetle: What does the recent outbreak tell us about evolving forest threats?
By Eric Walberg and Si Balch The extensive mountain pine beetle (MPB) outbreak in the western U.S. and Canada is a fascinating and instructive case study of the role of climate change in expanding the range and destructive potential of forest pests. The unprecedented forest damage associated with this outbreak is the result of the […]
The Clean Power Plan and Possible Forest Industry Ramifications
By Eric Walberg The Obama Administration’s newly released Clean Power Plan (http://www2.epa.gov/carbon-pollution-standards/clean-power-plan-proposed-rule) has the potential to influence at least two aspects of the forest industry in the United States. The first aspect is the potential for enhanced use of biomass energy to replace coal in energy production. The Plan includes expanded use of renewable energy […]
2014 U.S. National Climate Assessment
By Si Balch, John Hagan and Eric Walberg Context On May 6, 2014, the White House released the third U.S. National Climate Assessment Report. The USNCA is the most authoritative and comprehensive source of scientific information to date about climate-change impacts across all U.S. regions and on major sectors of the economy. The Assessment was […]