Climate change could boost tree growth in NW – at higher elevations
October 26th, 2009A new study by researchers from Oregon State University and the U.S. Forest Service takes a look at the effects of climate change on Northwest forests over the next century. What did they find?
The good news: warmer temperatures could boost tree growth.
The bad news: The greatest increases are likely at higher elevations, where temperatures are cold and growth rates have been low. At lower elevations, where temperatures are already warm and growth rates have been high, rates of growth could increase much less or even decrease.
Maps in the study showed the lowest growth rates in southwestern Oregon’s Klamath Mountains and the east side of the Cascade Range, where temperatures are warm and rain is limited. The highest growth rates showed in the Olympic Mountains and Northern Cascades of Washington and the Blue Mountains of Oregon.
Private forests, which account for 45% of timberlands and 83% of the Northwest’s timber harvest, will have a tough time maintaining current production levels, because they are generally at lower elevations. Harvest there is already at 104% of current growth rates. Federal forests, which tend to be at higher elevations, will tend to increase the amount of carbon they store. Federal forests account for 47% of the timber base and just 6% of the harvest.
The article in the Aspen Times reported the study, funded by the U.S. Forest Service, was published in the journal Forest Ecology and Management, but I’ve been unable to locate it.
Update: ahh, here’s the study. Thanks Pat & Paul!
Then again, there’s this:
