Northern Research Station

Title: Migration of tree species in New England based on elevational and regional analyses

Author: Solomon, Dale S.; Leak, William B.

Date: 1994

Source: Res. Pap. NE-688. Radnor, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 9 p.

Station ID: RP-NE-688

Description: With field measurements of migration patterns, we used two complementary approaches to examine tree-species movement after a documented increase in temperatures. The advancing-front theory was used to examine age trends over distance and elevation for both a mountain site in New Hampshire and a regional comparison across the State of Maine. Well-defined stationary fronts were identified for red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.) and beech (Fagus grandifolia Ehrh.), while a catastrophic front was depicted for sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and a constant slow-moving advancing front was exhibited by hemlock Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr.). The regional analysis, in Maine, indicated that white pine (Pinus strobus 1.) and balsam fir (Abies balsamea (L.) (Mill.) decreased significantly in average latitude and elevation over a 24-year period. The potential ranges of the major species in terms of elevation and regional position appear stable.

Keywords: modeling, climate change

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Citation

Solomon, Dale S.; Leak, William B.  1994.  Migration of tree species in New England based on elevational and regional analyses.   Res. Pap. NE-688. Radnor, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station. 9 p..