According to a survey by Professor Tsutomu Hiura of the Northern Biosphere Field Science Center of Hokkaido University and Senior Researcher Hayato Iijima of the Forestry Research Institute, the proportion of conifers has decreased in mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests in Hokkaido over the past 40 years. Do you get it.The joint research group sees the effects of climate change due to global warming.
According to Hokkaido University, the joint research group individually recognized each tree in the 17.5 hectares of both Osashima and Panke primordial conservation forests in the Nakagawa Research Forest of Hokkaido University in Otoineppu Village, Hokkaido, and conducted a monitoring survey for about 1 years.
As a result, it was found that the increase in summer temperature and precipitation had a positive effect on the growth of broad-leaved trees such as Acer mono, Quercus crispula, and Picea glehnii, while they had an adverse effect on coniferous trees such as Abies sachalinensis, Spruce, and Picea glehnii. The effects of the 2004 typhoon were also more severe on conifers.Of these, the proportion of conifers in the Osashima Wilderness Conservation Forest decreased by about 20%.
Climate change is thought to have various impacts on forest ecosystems, but there are still many unclear points, and so far there have been few studies based on long-term monitoring data.
The collaborative research group believes that climate change is changing the appearance of forests and reducing the proportion of conifers year by year.If climate change continues, conifers adapted to cold climates will disappear, and mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests may turn into broad-leaved forests.
Paper information:[Forest Ecology and Management] Long-term forest dynamics in response to climate change in northern mixed forests in Japan: A 38-year individual-based approach
