International conference on boreal forest ecosystems

Submitted by Carla Browning
Phone: (907) 474-7778
04/20/04

The Bonanza Creek Long Term Ecological Research Program and the International Boreal Forest Research Associaton (IBFRA) will host an international science conference on "Climate Disturbance Interactions in Boreal Forest Ecosystems" May 3-6, 2004 at the Fairbanks Princess Riverside Lodge.

Scientists will present and discuss the current scientific understanding of climate-disturbance interactions in the circumboreal region, the unique ecological, economic and social conditions that influence management decisions regarding disturbance, climate change impacts and adaptation to climate change in the boreal region.

The boreal forest, which is the second most extensive terrestrial biome on earth, represents a wood resource of global significance that is an important part of the cultural and economic wealth of northern countries. During the relatively brief (10,000-year) history of the boreal forest in its current location, it has experienced radical changes in climate, vegetation and fauna. Warming during the last 30 years has been associated with warming and melting of permafrost, changes in growth rates of dominant trees, increased area burned, insect outbreaks, and changes in vertebrate populations.

The causal links among these changes and their implications for the functioning of the boreal forest and the people who inhabit this region are not completely understood. Fire, insect outbreaks, timber harvest, and flooding are important disturbances. The extent and distribution of these disturbances are changing rapidly as climate warms, human populations grow and socioeconomic conditions change.

Abstracts are available at www.lter.uaf.edu/IBFRA/abstracts.cfm

For more information contact A. David McGuire, Department of Biology and Wildlife at (907) 474-6242, e-mail ffadm@uaf.edu or visit www.lter.uaf.edu/IBFRA/default.cfm for more information