Climate Change Impact on Forest Resources in California

This study, produced by the California Climate Change Center, evaluates the impact of climate change on California’s forest resources by developing a case study for a mixed conifer forest in the northern Sierra Nevada. The research utilized data-driven modeling tools to project the effect of a changing climate on forest growth, forest yield, and tree mortality. 

The study evaluated the climate change impacts on the productivity, health, and value of a forest for a specific region in the California-Sierran mixed conifer timberbelt. The research team adapted an industry standard planning tool to forecast 30-year tree growth and timber yields for forest stands in El Dorado County under a changing climate. The model projections were constrained by structural and demographic data from the Blodgett Forest Research Station in El Dorado County in order to represent a realistic range of legal management regimes employed on private and governmental forests in the region.

Publication Date: March 2006

Authors or Affiliated Users:

  • John J. Battles
  • Timothy Robards
  • Adrian Das
  • Kristen Waring
  • J. Keith Gilless
  • Frieder Schurr
  • John LeBlanc
  • Gregory Biging
  • Clara Simon

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Resource Types:

  • Assessment

States Affected:

Impacts:

  • Air temperature
  • Economic
  • Invasive species and pests
  • Precipitation changes
  • Wildfires

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