Work

Tree height explains mortality risk during an intense drought

Year: 2019

Type: article

Abstract: Forest mortality is accelerating due to climate change and the largest trees may be at the greatest risk, threatening critical ecological, economic, and social benefits. Here, we combine high-resolution airborne LiDAR and optical data to track tree-level mortality rates for ~2 million trees in California over 8 years, showing that tree height is the strongest predictor of mortality during extreme drought. Large trees die at twice the rate of small trees and environmental gradients of temperature, water, and competition control the intensity of the height-mortality relationship. These findings suggest that future persistent drought may cause widespread mortality of the largest trees on Earth.

Source: Nature Communications

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12380-6

Authors: Atticus E. L. Stovall, Herman Shugart, Xi Yang

Institutions: Goddard Space Flight Center, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, University of Virginia

Language: English

Topic: Plant Water Relations and Carbon Dynamics

Subfield: Global and Planetary Change

Field: Environmental Science

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Life on land, Climate action

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $5,200