Interactions among climate, disturbance, and bark beetles affect forest landscapes of the future

Richard W. Hofstetter, Kamal J.K. Gandhi

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Climatic changes are affecting every terrestrial ecosystem on the planet. In conifer- and hardwood-dominated forests, bark beetles are expected to gain even further prominence due to their close co-evolutionary relationships with host trees, their high responsiveness to host attributes, and variable environmental conditions. As such, chapters in this book, broadly but in detail, address the multifaceted ways in which bark beetles will respond to climate change through increasing temperatures, frequent drought, and changes in disturbance regime patterns, and further the cascading abiotic and biotic impacts across ecosystems. There are still many grand challenges in this field such as how to best predict bark beetle population levels of native species and invasion by high-impact nonnative species; proactively prepare and manage for bark beetle outbreaks (and the involved species); and drivers for social-economic-political factors to effectively address emerging chronic issues. We argue that this would involve trans-disciplinary research with expertise from disparate fields, inclusion of innovative tools and technologies, and training of the next generation of forest health specialists. Such strategies will assist with preserving many ecosystem services and long-term sustainability of our forests under a rapidly changing world.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationBark Beetle Management, Ecology, and Climate Change
PublisherElsevier
Pages395-404
Number of pages10
ISBN (Electronic)9780128221457
ISBN (Print)9780128224403
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2021

Keywords

  • Bark beetles
  • Drought
  • Forest ecosystems
  • Management
  • Research needs
  • Tree mortality

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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