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Author(s):
Monica G. Turner, Daniel C. Donato, William H. Romme
Year Published:

Cataloging Information

Topic(s):
Fire & Climate
Management Approaches
Recovery after fire
Resilience
Ecosystem(s):
Montane wet mixed-conifer forest, Montane dry mixed-conifer forest, Subalpine dry spruce-fir forest

NRFSN number: 13431
FRAMES RCS number: 17483
Record updated:

Changes in key drivers (e.g., climate, disturbance regimes and land use) may affect the sustainability of forest landscapes and set the stage for increased tension among competing ecosystem services. We addressed two questions about a suite of supporting, regulating and provisioning ecosystem services in each of two well-studied forest landscapes in the western US: (1) How might the provision of ecosystem services change in the future given anticipated trajectories of climate, disturbance regimes, and land use? (2) What is the role of spatial heterogeneity in sustaining future ecosystem services? We determined that future changes in each region are likely to be distinct, but spatial heterogeneity (e.g., the amount and arrangement of surviving forest patches or legacy trees after disturbance) will be important in both landscapes for sustaining forest regeneration, primary production, carbon storage, natural hazard regulation, insect and pathogen regulation, timber production and wildlife habitat. The paper closes by highlighting five general priorities for future research. The science of landscape ecology has much to contribute toward understanding ecosystem services and how land management can enhance-or threaten-the sustainability of ecosystem services in changing landscapes.

Citation

Turner, Monica G.; Donato, Daniel C.; Romme, William H. 2013. Consequences of spatial heterogeneity for ecosystem services in changing forest landscapes: priorities for future research. Landscape Ecology. 28(6): 1081-1097

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