New Harvard Forest Publication: Eastern Carbon Budgets and the Woolly Adelgid

In a paper just published in the Canadian Journal of Forest Research, post-doc Marco Albani, OEB Professor Paul Moorcroft and Harvard Forest researchers Dave Orwig, David Foster, and Aaron Ellison combined models of adelgid spread and forest dynamics to forecast the composition, structure, and carbon dynamics of eastern U.S. forests through 2100. Between 2000 and 2040, the combined model predicts an 8% reduction in carbon uptake as a result of the adelgid killing eastern hemlocks. From 2040 to 2100, the combined model predicts a 12% increase in carbon uptake as hardwoods sprout, regrow, and replace hemlock stands.

Albani, M. P. R. Moorcroft, A. M. Ellison, D. A. Orwig, and D. R. Foster. 2010. Predicting the impact of hemlock woolly adelgid on carbon dynamics of eastern U.S. forests. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 40: 119-133.