Over the past two decades, higher temperatures and variable precipitation have increased the severity of drought in forests across the United States, says the lead author of a study on climate change and forests.
“While the effects have been most pronounced in the West, our analysis shows virtually all U.S. forests are now experiencing change and are vulnerable to future declines,” said James Clark, environmental science professor at Duke. In a release, the university said, “Drought-induced forest diebacks, bark beetle infestations and wildfires are already occurring on large scales across the West, and many models predict droughts are likely to become more severe, frequent and prolonged across much of the United States. There is also mounting evidence that climate is changing faster than tree populations can respond by migrating to new regions.” Scientists from 14 institutions took part in the study, “The Impacts of Increasing Drought on Forest Dynamics, Structure, and Biodiversity in the United States,” in the journal Global Change Biology.