Impact of anthropogenic climate change on wildfire across western US forests

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Journal Year: 2016, Volume and Issue: 113(42), P. 11770 - 11775

Published: Oct. 10, 2016

Significance Increased forest fire activity across the western United States in recent decades has contributed to widespread mortality, carbon emissions, periods of degraded air quality, and substantial suppression expenditures. Although numerous factors aided rise activity, observed warming drying have significantly increased fire-season fuel aridity, fostering a more favorable environment forested systems. We demonstrate that human-caused climate change caused over half documented increases aridity since 1970s doubled cumulative area 1984. This analysis suggests anthropogenic will continue chronically enhance potential for US while fuels are not limiting.

Language: Английский

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Forest disturbances under climate change

Nature Climate Change, Journal Year: 2017, Volume and Issue: 7(6), P. 395 - 402

Published: May 31, 2017

Language: Английский

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Changing disturbance regimes, ecological memory, and forest resilience

Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, Journal Year: 2016, Volume and Issue: 14(7), P. 369 - 378

Published: Sept. 1, 2016

Ecological memory is central to how ecosystems respond disturbance and maintained by two types of legacies – information material. Species life‐history traits represent an adaptive response are legacy; in contrast, the abiotic biotic structures (such as seeds or nutrients) produced single events material legacies. Disturbance characteristics that support maintain these enhance ecological resilience a “safe operating space” for ecosystem recovery. However, can be lost diminished regimes environmental conditions change, generating “resilience debt” manifests only after system disturbed. Strong effects on post‐disturbance dynamics imply contingencies (effects cannot predicted with certainty) individual disturbances, interactions among climate variability combine affect resilience. We illustrate concepts introduce novel framework examples forest primarily from North America. Identifying particular help scientists resource managers anticipate when disturbances may trigger abrupt shifts ecosystems, forests likely resilient.

Language: Английский

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A review of the global climate change impacts, adaptation, and sustainable mitigation measures

Environmental Science and Pollution Research, Journal Year: 2022, Volume and Issue: 29(28), P. 42539 - 42559

Published: April 4, 2022

Language: Английский

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Forest health and global change

Science, Journal Year: 2015, Volume and Issue: 349(6250), P. 814 - 818

Published: Aug. 20, 2015

Humans rely on healthy forests to supply energy, building materials, and food provide services such as storing carbon, hosting biodiversity, regulating climate. Defining forest health integrates utilitarian ecosystem measures of condition function, implemented across a range spatial scales. Although native are adapted some level disturbance, all now face novel stresses in the form climate change, air pollution, invasive pests. Detecting how intensification these will affect trajectory is major scientific challenge that requires developing systems assess global forests. It particularly critical identify thresholds for rapid decline, because it can take many decades restore they provide.

Language: Английский

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Climate change effects on biodiversity, ecosystems, ecosystem services, and natural resource management in the United States

The Science of The Total Environment, Journal Year: 2020, Volume and Issue: 733, P. 137782 - 137782

Published: March 11, 2020

Climate change is a pervasive and growing global threat to biodiversity ecosystems. Here, we present the most up-to-date assessment of climate impacts on biodiversity, ecosystems, ecosystem services in U.S. implications for natural resource management. We draw from 4th National Assessment summarize observed projected changes ecosystems explore linkages important services, discuss associated challenges opportunities find that species are responding through morphology behavior, phenology, geographic range shifts, these mediated by plastic evolutionary responses. Responses populations, combined with direct effects (including more extreme events), resulting widespread productivity, interactions, vulnerability biological invasions, other emergent properties. Collectively, alter benefits can provide society. Although not all negative, even positive require costly societal adjustments. Natural managers need proactive, flexible adaptation strategies consider historical future outlooks minimize costs over long term. Many organizations beginning approaches, but implementation yet prevalent or systematic across nation.

Language: Английский

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Forest Soil Bacteria: Diversity, Involvement in Ecosystem Processes, and Response to Global Change

Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, Journal Year: 2017, Volume and Issue: 81(2)

Published: April 12, 2017

The ecology of forest soils is an important field research due to the role forests as carbon sinks. Consequently, a significant amount information has been accumulated concerning their ecology, especially for temperate and boreal forests. Although most studies have focused on fungi, soil bacteria also play roles in this environment. In soils, inhabit multiple habitats with specific properties, including bulk soil, rhizosphere, litter, deadwood habitats, where communities are shaped by nutrient availability biotic interactions. Bacteria contribute range essential processes involved cycling carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus. They take part decomposition dead plant biomass highly fungal mycelia. rhizospheres trees, interact roots mycorrhizal fungi commensalists or mycorrhiza helpers. mediate critical steps nitrogen cycle, N fixation. Bacterial respond effects global change, such climate warming, increased levels dioxide, anthropogenic deposition. This response, however, often reflects specificities each studied ecosystem, it still impossible fully incorporate into predictive models. understanding bacterial advanced dramatically recent years, but incomplete. exact extent contribution ecosystem will be recognized only future, when activities all community members simultaneously.

Language: Английский

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Evidence for declining forest resilience to wildfires under climate change

Ecology Letters, Journal Year: 2017, Volume and Issue: 21(2), P. 243 - 252

Published: Dec. 12, 2017

Abstract Forest resilience to climate change is a global concern given the potential effects of increased disturbance activity, warming temperatures and moisture stress on plants. We used multi‐regional dataset 1485 sites across 52 wildfires from US Rocky Mountains ask if how changing over last several decades impacted post‐fire tree regeneration, key indicator forest resilience. Results highlight significant decreases in regeneration 21st century. Annual deficits were significantly greater 2000 2015 as compared 1985–1999, suggesting increasingly unfavourable growing conditions, corresponding lower seedling densities failure. Dry forests that already occur at edge their climatic tolerance are most prone conversion non‐forests after wildfires. Major climate‐induced reduction density extent has important consequences for myriad ecosystem services now future.

Language: Английский

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Global trends in wildfire and its impacts: perceptions versus realities in a changing world

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Journal Year: 2016, Volume and Issue: 371(1696), P. 20150345 - 20150345

Published: May 24, 2016

Wildfire has been an important process affecting the Earth's surface and atmosphere for over 350 million years human societies have coexisted with fire since their emergence. Yet many consider wildfire as accelerating problem, widely held perceptions both in media scientific papers of increasing occurrence, severity resulting losses. However, exceptions aside, quantitative evidence available does not support these perceived overall trends. Instead, global area burned appears to declined past decades, there is that less landscape today than centuries ago. Regarding severity, limited data are available. For western USA, they indicate little change overall, also at high compared pre-European settlement. Direct fatalities from economic losses show no clear trends three decades. Trends indirect impacts, such health problems smoke or disruption social functioning, remain insufficiently quantified be examined. Global predictions increased under a warming climate highlight already urgent need more sustainable coexistence fire. The evaluation presented here aims contribute this by reducing misconceptions facilitating informed understanding realities This article part themed issue ‘The interaction mankind’.

Language: Английский

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Ten golden rules for reforestation to optimize carbon sequestration, biodiversity recovery and livelihood benefits

Global Change Biology, Journal Year: 2021, Volume and Issue: 27(7), P. 1328 - 1348

Published: Jan. 25, 2021

Abstract Urgent solutions to global climate change are needed. Ambitious tree‐planting initiatives, many already underway, aim sequester enormous quantities of carbon partly compensate for anthropogenic CO 2 emissions, which a major cause rising temperatures. However, tree planting that is poorly planned and executed could actually increase emissions have long‐term, deleterious impacts on biodiversity, landscapes livelihoods. Here, we highlight the main environmental risks large‐scale propose 10 golden rules, based some most recent ecological research, implement forest ecosystem restoration maximizes rates both sequestration biodiversity recovery while improving These as follows: (1) Protect existing first; (2) Work together (involving all stakeholders); (3) Aim maximize meet multiple goals; (4) Select appropriate areas restoration; (5) Use natural regeneration wherever possible; (6) species biodiversity; (7) resilient plant material (with genetic variability provenance); (8) Plan ahead infrastructure, capacity seed supply; (9) Learn by doing (using an adaptive management approach); (10) Make it pay (ensuring economic sustainability project). We focus design long‐term strategies tackle crises support livelihood needs. emphasize role local communities sources indigenous knowledge, benefits they derive from successful reforestation restores functioning delivers diverse range products services. While there no simple universal recipe restoration, crucial build upon currently growing public private interest in this topic, ensure interventions provide effective, sinks people.

Language: Английский

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