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Assessing changes in species distribution from sequential large-scale forest inventories

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Annals of Forest Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

• Context

It is assumed that global change is already affecting the composition, structure and distribution of forest ecosystems; however, detailed evidences of altitudinal and latitudinal shifts are still scarce.

• Aims

To develop a method based on National Forest Inventory (NFI) to assess spatio-temporal changes in species distributions.

• Methods

We develop an approach based on universal kriging to compare species distribution models from the different NFI cycles and regardless of the differences in the sampling schemes used. Furthermore, a confidence interval approach is used to assess significant changes in species distribution. The approach is applied to some of the southernmost populations of Pinus sylvestris and Fagus sylvatica in the Western Pyrenees over the last 40 years.

• Results

An increase of the presence of the two species in the region was observed. Scots pine distribution has shifted about 1.5 km northwards over recent decades, whereas the European beech has extended its distribution southwards by about 2 km. Furthermore, the optimum altitude for both species has risen by about 200 m. As a result, the zone in which the two species coexist has been enlarged.

• Conclusions

This approach provides a useful tool to compare NFI data from different sampling schemes, quantifying and testing significant shifts in tree species distribution over recent decades across geographical gradients.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank all the staff that makes possible the development of the NFI but especially Roberto Vallejo, Head of the Spanish National Forest Inventory, and Dr. Aitor Gastón (E.T.I Forestales), for kindly providing access to the full Spanish NFI data sets. The authors thank Adam Collins for the careful English language revision.

Funding

This research was supported by the AEG-09-007 agreement from the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (MAGRAMA) and the AGL2010-21153.00.01 project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN). F. Montes held a Ramon y Cajal research grant, financed by the MICINN.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. INIA-CIFOR, Ctra. La Coruña, km 7.5, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Laura Hernández, Isabel Cañellas, Iciar Alberdi & Fernando Montes

  2. E.T.S.I. Montes, Polytechnic University of Madrid, 28040, Madrid, Spain

    Laura Hernández

  3. Sustainable Forest Management Research Institute, University of Valladolid-INIA, 34004, Palencia, Spain

    Isabel Cañellas

  4. UCLM, University of Castilla-La Mancha, 45071, Toledo, Spain

    Iván Torres

Authors
  1. Laura Hernández
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  2. Isabel Cañellas
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  3. Iciar Alberdi
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  4. Iván Torres
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  5. Fernando Montes
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Laura Hernández.

Additional information

Handling Editor: Erwin Dreyer

Contribution of the co-authors

Isabel Cañellas coordinated the associate research projects. Iciar Alberdi provided access to all NFI databases. Fernando Montes and Laura Hernández conceived, designed and run the data analysis. Fernando Montes also supervised the work. Laura Hernández conducted manuscript writing. Fernando Montes, Isabel Cañellas, Iciar Alberdi and Iván Torres conducted manuscript reviewing.

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Hernández, L., Cañellas, I., Alberdi, I. et al. Assessing changes in species distribution from sequential large-scale forest inventories. Annals of Forest Science 71, 161–171 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-013-0308-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13595-013-0308-6

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