Study documents tree species' decline due to climate warming
Study documents tree species' decline due to climate warming
Dan Joling, Associated Press Updated 3:26 pm, Friday, January 6, 2017
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A type of tree that thrives in soggy soil from Alaska to Northern California and is valued for its commercial and cultural uses could become a noticeable casualty of climate warming over the next 50 years, an independent study has concluded.
Yellow cedar, named for its distinctive yellow wood, already is under consideration for federal listing as a threatened or endangered species.
The study published in the journal Global Change Biology found death due to root freeze on 7 percent of the tree's range, including areas where it's most prolific. It cited snow-cover loss that led to colder soil.
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"Lack of snow is only going to become more and more prevalent," said lead author Brian Buma, a University of Alaska Southeast assistant professor of forest ecosystem ecology.
More:
http://www.chron.com/news/science/article/Study-documents-tree-species-decline-due-to-10839976.php
