TY - JOUR T1 - Tree mortality in the eastern and central United States: patterns and drivers JF - Global Change Biology Y1 - 2011 A1 - Dietze, M. C. A1 - Moorcroft, P. R. KW - acid rain KW - acidic deposition KW - bayesian logistic regression KW - Climate KW - climate-change KW - dependent mortality KW - drought KW - forest inventory and analysis KW - growth KW - hardwood forest KW - models KW - nitrogen deposition KW - ozone KW - plant functional type KW - semiparametric approach KW - survival analysis KW - topographic moisture KW - vegetation dynamics AB -

Substantial uncertainty surrounds how forest ecosystems will respond to the simultaneous impacts of multiple global change drivers. Long-term forest dynamics are sensitive to changes in tree mortality rates; however, we lack an understanding of the relative importance of the factors that affect tree mortality across different spatial and temporal scales. We used the US Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis database to evaluate the drivers of tree mortality for eastern temperate forest at the individual-level across spatial scales from tree to landscape to region. We investigated 13 covariates in four categories: climate, air pollutants, topography, and stand characteristics. Overall, we found that tree mortality was most sensitive to stand characteristics and air pollutants. Different functional groups also varied considerably in their sensitivity to environmental drivers. This research highlights the importance of considering the interactions among multiple global change agents in shaping forest ecosystems.

VL - 17 SN - 1354-1013 N1 -

836UATimes Cited:25Cited References Count:75

JO - Global Change BiolGlobal Change Biol ER -