Life Sciences Commons^™

Historic Declines In Growth Portend Trembling Aspen Death During A Contemporary Leaf Miner Outbreak In Alaska, Melissa A. Boyd, Logan T. Berner, Adrianna C. Foster, Scott J. Goetz, Brendan M. Rogers, Xanthe J. Walker, Michelle C. Mack

Aspen Bibliography

Climate change-driven droughts and insect outbreaks are becoming more frequent and widespread, increasing forest vulnerability to mortality. By addressing the impacts of climate and insects on tree growth preceding death, we can better understand tree mortality risk under a changing climate. Here, we used tree stature and interannual growth (basal area increment; BAI) to assess processes leading to trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) survival or mortality during an unprecedented leaf miner (Phyllocnistis populiella) outbreak in boreal North America. We identified eight sites (22 plots) in the longest running forest monitoring network in Alaska, spanning ~350 km of …