Effects of climate change on growth and seedling establishment of young lodgepole pine

Abstract

Anthropogenically induced climate change is expected to effect numerous climatic alterations pertinent to ecosystems, including increased mean global temperature and altered precipitation regimes. High-elevation ecosystems are especially sensitive to climatic changes because slight fluctuations in factors like snowmelt date and soil moisture can lead to major changes in the length of growing season and other factors. Two five-year periods with contrasting climate factors in Gunnison Co. Colorado provided an opportunity to study the impacts of climate change on high-elevation ecosystems. I studied the relative influence of those two periods on six stands of young lodgepole pine and found that warming-associated climate factors enhanced growth in young trees and had little effect on seedling establishment success. These findings corroborate ecophysiological knowledge about lodgepole pine and suggest a possible shift in forest composition and distribution under climate change scenarios.

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