Climate change could negate U.S. forest ecosystem service benefits gained through reductions in nitrogen and sulfur deposition.

Jennifer N Phelan, George Van Houtven, Christopher M Clark, John Buckley, James Cajka, Ashton Hargrave, Kevin Horn, R Quinn Thomas, Robert D Sabo
Author Information
  1. Jennifer N Phelan: RTI International, 3040 E. Cornwallis Rd., RTP, NC, USA. jenphelan@rti.org.
  2. George Van Houtven: RTI International, 3040 E. Cornwallis Rd., RTP, NC, USA.
  3. Christopher M Clark: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC, USA.
  4. John Buckley: RTI International, 3040 E. Cornwallis Rd., RTP, NC, USA.
  5. James Cajka: RTI International, 3040 E. Cornwallis Rd., RTP, NC, USA.
  6. Ashton Hargrave: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, National Forest System Washington Office, Fort Collins, CO, USA.
  7. Kevin Horn: Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
  8. R Quinn Thomas: Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
  9. Robert D Sabo: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, Washington, DC, USA.

Abstract

Climate change and atmospheric deposition of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) impact the health and productivity of forests. Here, we explored the potential impacts of these environmental stressors on ecosystem services provided by future forests in the contiguous U.S. We found that all stand-level services benefitted (+���2.6 to 8.1%) from reductions in N+S deposition, largely attributable to positive responses to reduced S that offset the net negative effects of lower N levels. Sawtimber responded positively (+���0.5 to 0.6%) to some climate change, but negatively (-���2.4 to -���3.8%) to the most extreme scenarios. Aboveground carbon (C) sequestration and forest diversity were negatively impacted by all modelled changes in climate. Notably, the most extreme climate scenario eliminated gains in all three services achieved through reduced deposition. As individual tree species responded differently to climate change and atmospheric deposition, associated services unique to each species increased or decreased under future scenarios. Our results suggest that climate change should be considered when evaluating the benefits of N and S air pollution policies on the services provided by U.S. forests.

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MeSH Term

Climate Change
Nitrogen
Forests
Sulfur
United States
Trees
Ecosystem
Carbon Sequestration

Chemicals

Nitrogen
Sulfur

Word Cloud

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