Twentieth-century shifts in forest structure in California: Denser forests, smaller trees, and increased dominance of oaks

We document changes in forest structure between historical (1930s) and contemporary (2000s) surveys of California vegetation through comparisons of tree abundance and size across the state and within several ecoregions. Across California, tree density in forested regions increased by 30% between the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 2015-02, Vol.112 (5), p.1458-1463
Main Authors: McIntyre, Patrick J., Thorne, James H., Dolanc, Christopher R., Flint, Alan L., Flint, Lorraine E., Kelly, Maggi, Ackerly, David D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biodiversity
Biological Sciences
Biomass
California
Comparative analysis
Demographics
Forests
History, 20th Century
History, 21st Century
Vegetation
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Summary:We document changes in forest structure between historical (1930s) and contemporary (2000s) surveys of California vegetation through comparisons of tree abundance and size across the state and within several ecoregions. Across California, tree density in forested regions increased by 30% between the two time periods, whereas forest biomass in the same regions declined, as indicated by a 19% reduction in basal area. These changes reflect a demographic shift in forest structure: larger trees (>61 cm diameter at breast height) have declined, whereas smaller trees (
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.1410186112