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Harvard Forest Symposium Abstract 2017

  • Title: Looking back to inform the future: developing forest conservation strategies in an era of change
  • Primary Author: Anthony D'Amato (University of Vermont (UVM))
  • Abstract:

    Global change represents the greatest challenge facing forest conservation and management efforts due to uncertainty in future conditions and an urgency to develop strategies that increase adaptive capacity and/or minimize ecosystem vulnerability. An understanding of the past impacts of climate change and other stressors on forest ecosystem function and the ability of management interventions to lessen these effects is necessary for informing the development of adaptive strategies in the face of uncertain future conditions. This presentation will highlight a series of retrospective and large-scale manipulative studies that apply dendrochronological, long-term inventory, and detailed ecosystem measurements to examine the impacts of past climate extremes and disturbance events and emerging stressors on the structure, composition, and productivity of a range of temperate forest ecosystems. Linkages between these studies and the broader body of work developed through the Harvard Forest’s Long Term Ecological Research program will be highlighted for their application to the development of regional strategies for forest conservation in the northeastern US.

  • Research Category: Regional Studies
    Large Experiments and Permanent Plot Studies
    Invasive Plants, Pests & Pathogens
    Historical and Retrospective Studies
    Conservation and Management