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IMAGE: Mature western forests, such as this stand of mixed conifers in California's Sequoia National Park, may be less able than younger forests back East to reseed themselves and regenerate following...
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Credit: USGS
DURHAM, N.C. -- Younger, smaller trees that comprise much of North America's eastern forests have increased their seed production under climate change, but older, larger trees that dominate forests in much of the West have been less responsive, a new Duke University-led study finds.
Declines in these trees' seed production, or fecundity, could limit western forests' ability to regenerate following the large-scale diebacks linked to rising temperatures and intensifying droughts that are now occurring in many states and provinces.