The 81 experimental forests and ranges (EF&R) are located throughout the United States including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. They range from boreal to tropical forests to dry desert ranges and are distributed across many environmental gradients. Since many EF&R’s were established beginning in 1908, continuous measurements of vegetation have always been an important part of research on these EF&Rs. This presentation will synthesize vegetation information and data sets from throughout the EF&Rs to illustrate the shifts in vegetation that have occurred over the last century and across a diversity of environments. Our synthesis will focus on describing the shift in tree species composition and associated causes that have occurred in our forests and ranges over time. We will use published papers and data sets that represent long-term vegetation dynamics focusing on species composition.
Results/Conclusions
Our results will focus on presenting the 1) relevance of vegetation shifts in composition and how they relate to the larger landscape and region, 2) the causes for the shift in vegetation over time, and 3) quantifiable examples that show the extent of the shift in vegetation composition. EF&Rs were not established to conduct research in unique ecosystems, but rather they are located in places that reflect the larger and surrounding landscape; thus these results represent the shifts in vegetation across much of the United States but because the fall within EF&Rs, long-term measurements provide quantifiable insight.