The coastal temperate rainforests of South and North America are part of the most biomass dense forest biome on the planet. They are also subject to rapid climatic shifts and, subsequently, new disturbance processes - snow loss-driven mortality and the emergence of fire in historically non-fire-exposed areas. Here, we compare and contrast Southern and Northern Hemisphere coastal temperate rainforests of the Americas, two of the largest examples of the biome, via synthesis of current literature, future climate expectations and new downscaling of a global fire model. In terms of snow loss, a rapid decline in winter snow is leading to mass mortality of certain conifer species in the Northern Hemisphere rainforests. High-elevation Southern Hemisphere forests, which are beginning to see similar declines in snow, may be vulnerable in the future, especially bogs and high-water content soils. Southern Hemisphere forests are seeing the invasion of fire as an ecological force at mid-to-high latitudes, a shift not yet observed in the north but which may become more prominent with ongoing climate change. We suggest that research should focus on the flammability of seral vegetation and bogs under future climate scenarios in both regions. By comparing these two drivers of change across similar gradients in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, this work points to the potential for emerging change in unexpected places in both regions. There is a clear benefit to conceptualising the coastal temperate rainforests of the Americas as two examples of the biome which can inform the other, as change is proceeding in similar directions but at different rates in each region.
1.Univ Colorado, Dept Integrat Biol, 1151 Arapahoe St, Denver, CO 80204 USA 2.Univ Autonoma Barcelona, Cerdanyola Del Valles, Spain 3.Univ Nevada, Dept Nat Resources & Environm Sci, Reno, NV 89557 USA 4.Portland State Univ, Dept Geog, Portland, OR 97207 USA 5.BC Minist Forests Lands Nat Resource Operat & Rur, Coast Area Res, Nanaimo, BC, Canada 6.Univ Alaska Southeast, Alaska Coastal Rainforest Ctr, Juneau, AK USA 7.Oregon State Univ, Inst Nat Resources, Portland, OR USA 8.Geos Inst, Ashland, OR USA 9.Alaska Dept Fish & Game, Wildlife Conservat Div, Douglas, AK USA 10.US Forest Serv, USDA, PNW Res Stn, Corvallis, OR USA 11.Juneau Greens, Juneau, AK USA 12.Univ Calif Cooperat Extens, Agr & Nat Resources Div, Davis, CA USA 13.Univ Calif Santa Barbara, Bren Sch Environm Sci & Management, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 USA
Recommended Citation:
Buma, Brian,Batllori, Enric,Bisbing, Sarah,et al. Emergent freeze and fire disturbance dynamics in temperate rainforests[J]. AUSTRAL ECOLOGY,2019-01-01,44(5):812-826