Response of high-elevation forests in the Olympic Mountains to climatic change

1999 ◽  
Vol 29 (12) ◽  
pp. 1966-1978 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Nana Zolbrod ◽  
David L Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Climatic Change ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Precipitation Regime ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
The North ◽  
Olympic Mountains ◽  
Climatic Regime

The gap model ZELIG was used to examine the effects of increased temperature (2°C) and altered precipitation on high-elevation ecosystems of the Olympic Mountains, Washington, U.S.A. Changes in tree species distribution and abundance, as well as stand biomass, were examined on north and south aspects in the dry northeast (NE) and wet southwest (SW) regions of the Olympics for (i) warmer, (ii) warmer and 20% wetter, and (iii) warmer and 20% drier climatic-change scenarios. Dominant tree species shift upwards 300-600 m in elevation in the SW, with subalpine meadows and Tsuga mertensiana (Bong.) Carr. forests being replaced by Abies amabilis (Dougl.) Forbes forests at higher elevations and A. amabilis forests being replaced by Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg. forests at lower elevations. In the NE, drought-tolerant species become dominant approximately 200 m lower than present, with A. lasiocarpa dominating the north aspect and Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. the south aspect. Biomass increases in the SW and generally decreases in the NE, depending on aspect and precipitation regime. This study suggests that species and site-specific responses at mesoscale (e.g., wet vs. dry climatic regime) and microscale (e.g., north vs. south aspect) resolutions must be characterized to quantify the variation in potential effects of climatic change on forest vegetation in mountainous regions.

scholarly journals Reanalysis of 47 Years of Climate in the French Alps (1958–2005): Climatology and Trends for Snow Cover

2009 ◽  
Vol 48 (12) ◽  
pp. 2487-2512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yves Durand ◽  
Gérald Giraud ◽  
Martin Laternser ◽  
Pierre Etchevers ◽  
Laurent Mérindol ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Snow Cover ◽  
Snow Depth ◽  
Numerical Models ◽  
High Elevation ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Spatial And Temporal Variability ◽  
The South ◽  
French Alps ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
The North

Abstract Since the early 1990s, Météo-France has used an automatic system combining three numerical models to simulate meteorological parameters, snow cover stratigraphy, and avalanche risk at various altitudes, aspects, and slopes for a number of mountainous regions (massifs) in the French Alps and the Pyrenees. This Système d’Analyse Fournissant des Renseignements Atmosphériques à la Neige (SAFRAN)–Crocus–Modèle Expert de Prévision du Risque d’Avalanche (MEPRA) model chain (SCM), usually applied to operational daily avalanche forecasting, is here used for retrospective snow and climate analysis. For this study, the SCM chain used both meteorological observations and guess fields mainly issued from the newly reanalyzed atmospheric model 40-yr ECMWF Re-Analysis (ERA-40) data and ran on an hourly basis over a period starting in the winter of 1958/59 until recent past winters. Snow observations were finally used for validation, and the results presented here concern only the main climatic features of the alpine modeled snowfields at different spatial and temporal scales. The main results obtained confirm the very significant spatial and temporal variability of the modeled snowfields with regard to certain key parameters such as those describing ground coverage or snow depth. Snow patterns in the French Alps are characterized by a marked declining gradient from the northwestern foothills to the southeastern interior regions. This applies mainly to both depths and durations, which exhibit a maximal latitudinal variation at 1500 m of about 60 days, decreasing strongly with the altitude. Enhanced at low elevations, snow depth shows a mainly negative temporal variation over the study period, especially in the north and during late winters, while the south exhibits more smoothed features. The number of days with snow on the ground shows also a significant general signal of decrease at low and midelevation, but this signal is weaker in the south than in the north and less visible at high elevation. Even if a statistically significant test cannot be performed for all elevations and areas, the temporal decrease is present in all the studied quantities. Concerning snow duration, this general decrease can also be interpreted as a sharp variation of the mean values at the end of the 1980s, inducing a step effect in its time series rather than a constant negative temporal trend. The results have also been interpreted in terms of potential for a viable ski industry, especially in the southern areas, and for different changing climatic conditions. Presently, French downhill ski resorts are economically viable from a range of about 1200 m MSL in the northern foothills to 2000 m in the south, but future prospects are uncertain. In addition, no clear and direct relationship between the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) or the ENSO indexes and the studied snow parameters could be established in this study.

A 14,000 year vegetation history of a hypermaritime island on the outer Pacific coast of Canada based on fossil pollen, spores and conifer stomata

2012 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 572-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terri Lacourse ◽  
J. Michelle Delepine ◽  
Elizabeth H. Hoffman ◽  
Rolf W. Mathewes
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Vegetation History ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
North Coast ◽  
Pollen Record ◽  
The North ◽  
History Of ◽  
Local Species

AbstractPollen and conifer stomata analyses of lake sediments from Hippa Island on the north coast of British Columbia were used to reconstruct the vegetation history of this small hypermaritime island. Between 14,000 and 13,230 cal yr BP, the island supported diverse herb–shrub communities dominated by Cyperaceae, Artemisia and Salix. Pinus contorta and Picea sitchensis stomata indicate that these conifers were present among the herb–shrub communities, likely as scattered individuals. Transition to open P. contorta woodland by 13,000 cal yr BP was followed by increases in Alnus viridis, Alnus rubra and P. sitchensis. After 12,000 cal yr BP, Pinus-dominated communities were replaced by dense P. sitchensis and Tsuga heterophylla forest with Lysichiton americanus and fern understory. Thuja plicata stomata indicate that this species was present by 8700 cal yr BP, but the pollen record suggests that its populations did not expand to dominate regional rainforests, along with Tsuga and Picea, until after 6600 cal yr BP. Conifer stomata indicate that species may be locally present for hundreds to thousands of years before pollen exceed thresholds routinely used to infer local species arrival. When combined, pollen and conifer stomata can provide a more accurate record of paleovegetation than either when used alone.

scholarly journals British Columbia Vegetation and Climate History with Focus on 6 ka BP

2007 ◽  
Vol 49 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Hebda
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Early Holocene ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Quercus Garryana ◽  
Climate History ◽  
The North ◽  
Vegetation And Climate

ABSTRACT British Columbia Holocene vegetation and climate is reconstructed from pollen records. A coastal Pinus contorta paleobiome developed after glacier retreat under cool and probably dry climate. Cool moist forests involving Picea, Abies, Tsuga spp., and Pinus followed until the early Holocene. Pseudotsuga menziesii arrived and spread in the south 10 000-9000 BP, and Picea sitchensis - Tsuga heterophylla forests developed in the north. T. heterophylla increased 7500-7000 BP, and Cupressaceae expanded 5000-4000 BP. Bogs began to develop and expland. Modern vegetation arose 4000-2000 BP. There were early Holocene grass and Artemisia communities at mid-elevations and pine stands at high elevations in southern interior B.C. Forests expanded downslope and lakes formed 8500-7000 BP. Modern forests arose 4500-4000 BP while lower and upper tree lines declined. In northern B.C. non-arboreal communities preceded middle Holocene Picea forests. Abies, Pinus and Picea mariana predominated at various sites after 4000 BP. At 6000 BP Tsuga heterophylla (south) and Picea sitchensis (north) dominated the coast and islands and Quercus garryana and Pseudotsuga on southeast Vancouver Island, but Thuja plicata was infrequent. Southern Interior Plateau vegetation at 6000 BP was more open than today at middle to lower elevations, whereas forests covered the Northern Interior Plateau. Picea forests occurred in northern B.C. Holocene climate phases were: 1) warm dry "xerothermic" ca. 9500-7000 BP, 2) warm moist "mesothermic" ca. 7000-4500 BP, 3) moderate and moist 4500-0 BP, with increasing moisture 8500-6000 BP and cooling (?increased moisture) 4500-3000 BP. B.Cs Hypsithermal had dry and wet stages; 6000 BP occurred in the warm and wet mesothermic stage.

A comparison of ectomycorrhiza communities from three conifer species planted on forest gap edges

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (8) ◽  
pp. 1193-1198 ◽  
Author(s):  
J M Kranabetter ◽  
S Hayden ◽  
E F Wright
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Picea Glauca ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Abies Lasiocarpa ◽  
Community Similarity ◽  
Conifer Species ◽  
Host Preferences ◽  
The North ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Species Comparisons

We examined the ectomycorrhiza communities on lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm), white spruce (Picea glauca (Moench) Voss), and subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt) seedlings planted together on mature-forest edges in northwestern British Columbia. We examined 32 seedlings of each tree species, grouped by pairs along the north and south edges of eight gaps. We found 74 morphotypes in total, with an average of 52 morphotypes per tree species. Morphotypes with emanating hyphae or strands made up 60% of the overall ectomycorrhiza community. Multihost fungi averaged almost 60% of total morphotypes in species comparisons, although some of the multihost fungi appeared to have tree host preferences. The average community similarity, based on morphotype abundance, was 52% between conifer species, and 37% for morphotypes with emanating hyphae or strands. Within planted groups, between seedlings 1-2 m apart, community similarity ranged from 2 to 40% for morphotypes with emanating hyphae or strands. In mature, mixed forests, the infrequent occurrence of many multihost ectomycorrhizae created a wide range in the probability of hyphal linkages between neighboring seedlings.Key words: ectomycorrhizae, community similarity, multiple host, host specificity, Pinus contorta, Picea glauca, Abies lasiocarpa

TBE in Italy

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina Tagliapietra ◽  
Flavia Riccardo ◽  
Giovanni Rezza
Keyword(s):  
Case Series ◽  
East Part ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Low Incidence

Italy is considered a low incidence country for tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in Europe. Areas at higher risk for TBE in Italy are geographically clustered in the forested and mountainous regions and provinces in the north east part of the country, as suggested by TBE case series published over the last decade.

TBE in Italy

2020 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Surveillance System ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
National Level ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
North East ◽  
The North ◽  
Tick Borne Encephalitis ◽  
Low Incidence

Italy is considered a low-incidence country for tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) in Europe.1 Areas at higher risk for TBE in Italy are geographically clustered in the forested and mountainous regions and provinces in the north east part of the country, as suggested by TBE case series published over the last decade.2-5 A national enhanced surveillance system for TBE has been established since 2017.6 Before this, information on the occurrence of TBE cases at the national level in Italy was lacking. Both incidence rates and the geographical distribution of the disease were mostly inferred from endemic areas where surveillance was already in place, ad hoc studies and international literature.1

Distribution of leaf orientations in six conifer species

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-397 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugh J Barclay
Keyword(s):  
Pseudotsuga Menziesii ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Goodness Of Fit ◽  
Tsuga Heterophylla ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
The Other ◽  
Thuja Plicata ◽  
Leaf Angle ◽  
Conifer Species ◽  
Abies Grandis

Leaf angle distributions are important in assessing both the flexibility of a plant's response to differing daily and seasonal sun angles and also the variability in the proportion of total leaf area visible in remotely sensed images. Leaf angle distributions are presented for six conifer species, Abies grandis (Dougl. ex D. Don) Lindl., Thuja plicata Donn. ex D. Don, Tsuga heterophylla (Raf.) Sarg., Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco, Picea sitchensis (Bong.) Carr. and Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. var. latifolia. The leaf angles were calculated by measuring four foliar quantities, and then the distributions of leaf angles are cast in three forms: distributions of (i) the angle of the long axis of the leaf from the vertical for the range 0–180°; (ii) the angle of the long axis of the leaf for the range 0–90°; and (iii) the angle of the plane of the leaf for the range 0–90°. Each of these are fit to the ellipsoidal distribution to test the hypothesis that leaf angles in conifers are sufficiently random to fit the ellipsoidal distribution. The fit was generally better for planar angles and for longitudinal angles between 0° and 90° than for longitudinal angles between 0° and 180°. The fit was also better for Tsuga heterophylla, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Picea sitchensis, and Pinus contorta than for Abies grandis and Thuja plicata. This is probably because Abies and Thuja are more shade tolerant than the other species, and so the leaves in Abies and Thuja are preferentially oriented near the horizontal and are much less random than for the other species. Comparisons of distributions on individual twigs, whole branches, entire trees, and groups of trees were done to test the hypothesis that angle distributions will depend on scale, and these comparisons indicated that the apparent randomness and goodness-of-fit increased on passing to each larger unit (twigs up to groups of trees).Key words: conifer, leaf angles, ellipsoidal distribution.

scholarly journals Inferences on the Susceptibility of Wood of Different Tree Species to Heterobasidion annosum Sensu Lato (Fr.) Bref. Primary Infections and on the Range of Pathogen Spores Dispersal

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 854
Author(s):  
Lauma Brūna ◽  
Guglielmo Lione ◽  
Kristīne Kenigsvalde ◽  
Natālija Burņeviča ◽  
Astra Zaļuma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tree Species ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Sharp Decrease ◽  
Picea Sitchensis ◽  
Heterobasidion Annosum ◽  
Forest Pathogens ◽  
Airborne Inoculum ◽  
Controlled Conditions ◽  
Airborne Infections ◽  
Norway Spruce Forest

Stumps play a pivotal role in the epidemiology of the fungal forest pathogens Heterobasidion spp. because they are the main courts of primary airborne infections. The aims of this study were (i) to determine the susceptibility of seven tree species (i.e., Larix sibirica, Picea abies, Picea sitchensis, Pinus contorta, Pinus strobus, Pinus sylvestris and Pseudotsuga menziesii) to primary infection by H. annosum and H. parviporum through comparative inoculation experiments of conidia on wood discs in controlled conditions; (ii) to compare the susceptibility of wood discs of the same tree species to natural airborne infections in two Latvian Norway spruce forest stands infested either by H. annosum or H. parviporum; (iii) to explore the rates of infection of wood discs at increasing distances from spore sources in these two forests to make inferences on the range of spores dispersal. Results obtained by spraying wood discs with conidial suspensions in controlled conditions are in agreement with those obtained by exposing wood discs to the natural airborne inoculum in the forests, as clearly supported by the significant correlation (r = 0.79; p < 0.05) between the two sets of data. Susceptibility was highest in Pinus species, followed by P. abies and P. sitchensis. Susceptibility was lowest for L. sibirica and P. menziesii. The area colonized by Heterobasidion spp. in the sapwood of wood discs was much greater than that colonized in the heartwood. A sharp decrease in the rate of infection of wood discs with distance from spore sources (i.e., fruiting bodies) was observed, further confirming the importance of local spore sources in the epidemiology of Heterobasidion spp. Taken together, these findings could help designing tactics to manage these fungal forest pathogens.

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