Effects of Climate Change on New England’s Forests

Science for the Public in partnership with Robbins Library
January 15, 2020 at 7PM, Robbins Library, Arlington MA

Pamela Templer, Ph.D. Professor and Associate Chair, Boston Univ. Dept of Biology;
Director, Ph.D. Program in Biogeoscience; Director, BU URBAN Graduate Program; Co-Director, Boston University Stable Isotope Laboratory

Temperatures in New England are projected to increase up to 9 degrees F by the year 2100, which could have some positive effects on trees in our forest ecosystems. However, the increase in temperature will lead to a smaller winter snowpack and increased frequency of soil freeze/thaw cycles, which may damage trees and decrease the ability of our forests to sequester carbon and serve as habitat for some animals and microbes. We established the Climate Change Across Seasons Experiment (CCASE) at Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire to determine the effects of these changes in climate on the health of northern hardwood forests and implications for water and air quality.

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