Central Hardwoods Ecosystem Vulnerability Assessment and Synthesis: A Report from the Central Hardwoods Climate Change Response Framework Project

By U.S. Department of Agriculture

The forests in the Central Hardwoods Region will be affected directly and indirectly by a changing climate over the next 100 years. This assessment evaluates the vulnerability of terrestrial ecosystems in the Central Hardwoods Region of Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri to a range of future climates. We synthesized and summarized information on the contemporary landscape, provided information on past climate trends, and illustrated a range of projected future climates. This information was used to parameterize and contextualize multiple vegetation impact models, which provided a range of potential vegetative responses to climate. Finally, we brought these results before a multidisciplinary panel of scientists and land managers to assess ecosystems through a formal consensus-based expert elicitation process. The summary of the contemporary landscape identifies major stressors currently threatening forests and other terrestrial ecosystems in the region. Major current threats to forests in the area include invasive species, habitat fragmentation, oak decline, and a decrease in fire in fire-adapted systems.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1508571678
• ISBN13: 9781508571674
• Release Date: June 2015
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 268 Pages
• Weight: 1.38 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 8.5" x 11.0"