Middle-Holocene Hemlock Dynamics in Northern New England

A new paleoecology study by Emerson College/HF scientist Wyatt Oswald and HF director David Foster describes multiple episodes of eastern hemlock population decline ~6,000 years ago in New England. These events precede a major and more often-studied hemlock population decline 5,500 years ago. All of the decline events coincide with indicators of abrupt climate change. The sensitivity of hemlock populations, and their ability to recover from these declines, corresponded to geographical differences. These findings can inform current investigations of hemlock sensitivity and recovery as the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid continues to move into the region. Read "Middle-Holocene dynamics of Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock) in northern New England, USA" in The Holocene.