Ecological implications of projected climate change scenarios in forest ecosystems of central North America

Climate change scenarios in central North America were projected for selected weather stations using a stochastic daily weather simulation model. The projections were conditioned on changes in seasonal temperature and precipitation as predicted by several global climate models. The impacts of these projected changes on temperate forest ecosystems were evaluated through projected changes in such variables as average annual temperature, average growing season temperature, and the ratio of potential evaporation to precipitation during July and August. Even the mildest climate change scenario examined indicated that ecologically significant changes could occur in the composition and productivity of these forests. The possibility also exists that climatically induced regional decline episodes for a number of important commercial species could occur in the northern temperate forests of central North America.