Projected changes in climate, increased atmospheric carbon dioxide, and increased nitrogen deposition are likely to affect U.S. forests throughout this century. Effects will be both direct and indirect, and will differ temporally and spatially across the United States.
The National Climate Assessment Report
The National Climate Assessment (NCA) report, Effects of Climatic Variability and Change on Forest Ecosystems: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis for the U.S. Forest Sector, is now available.
The report is a scientific assessment of the current condition and likely future condition of forest resources in the United States relative to climatic variability and change. The assessment provides technical input to the NCA and serves as a framework for managing forest resources in the United States. The NCA evaluates the effects of global change on multiple sectors and regions in the United States, including agriculture, forests, energy production and use, land and water resources, transportation, human health and welfare, human social systems, and biological diversity, projecting major trends forward for up to 100 years. The forest sector technical report is the key technical input to the NCA forest sector chapter. This report discusses interrelated aspects of biophysical and socioeconomic phenomena in forested ecosystems that may be affected by climatic variability and change; adaptation and mitigation strategies; key issues for the forest sector in each of the NCA regions; and future assessment activities.
