Research shows advisability of replanting conifer forests sooner than later after wildfires
January 2, 2024 - Mary Beth King
Warmer and drier climate conditions in western U.S. forests are making it less likely that trees can regenerate after wildfires. Scientists at The University of New Mexico are experimenting and learning about reforestation and the challenges presented by environmental factors in the semi-arid southwestern United States where planted conifer seedling survival is typically low after a wildfire.
In recently published research entitled Ability of seedlings to survive heat and drought portends future demographic challenges for five southwestern US conifers, Joseph Crockett, who recently received his Ph.D. in Biology at UNM, and Department of Biology Professor Matthew Hurteau, looked at how hot and dry conditions are likely to influence future seedling survival. Crockett earned his master’s degree at the University of California, Merced, where he studied extreme drought and related disturbances of the western United States in the 20th and 21st centuries.
“I started this research because I was interested in how southwestern forests may change with the hotter temperatures and longer droughts anticipated with climate change in the next century,” Crockett said. “We in the southwest are reliant on healthy forests for everything from the water we drink to recreation opportunities and forest loss from wildfire can have big impacts on large numbers of people. Determining the conditions under which conifer seedlings can survive is central to our understanding of the risks that southwestern forests may face in the future and that knowledge can help us focus reforestation efforts where they are more likely to succeed.”
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