Climate Change Impacts on the Trees of New England

People may assume that the increase in carbon dioxide emissions could be beneficial to trees because trees use carbon dioxide for the process of photosynthesis. However, many species of trees could actually be negatively affected in unexpected ways which would outweigh the benefits. This issue is very applicable to the lives in the New England ecosystems as trees make up 80 percent of the New England area (Catanzaro, 2019).

One of the issues that arise from the increase in carbon dioxide emissions is the increase in the climate. In just the last half-century, the average winter temperature in New England has risen over 4 degrees Fahrenheit and is projected to rise even higher in the future. Because of the warmer weather, there is an increase in precipitation in the form of rainfall during winter instead of snow. And if there is snowfall, a blanket of snow will not form or stay for long (Stressors | Changes in Winter, 2017). At the same time, extremely cold winter days in New England had increased (Johnson, 2018), proposed to be caused by the warming climate in the Arctic causing cold air outbreaks where the Arctic wind goes south, going through New England (Cohen, 2014).

The combination of these changes in abiotic factors creates an unsustainable habitat for certain New England trees. The fluctuations in temperature during winter also affect the dormancy of trees during winter. The days with high temperatures prompt the trees to come out of dormancy during winter and begin the growth period as the tree would during spring, leading to bud flushes, and increasing their need for water and nutrients (Nilsson, 2022). However, the blanket of snow that usually forms during winter in New England provides soil insulation from the harsh winter wind and air, which would be missing. The lack of snow leaves the roots of the trees vulnerable to the cold. The decrease in soil temperature leads the water in the soil to become frozen and unusable for the trees, causing the trees to potentially die from dehydration (Pramsohler, 2013). The bacteria and fungi in the soil which have a mutualistic relationship with the trees in transferring nutrients such as carbon from the soil to the tree roots decrease in activity from the cold (Wang, 2020).

The biodiversity within the tree community in New England seems likely to have a big change in the near future where tree species that could adapt to the new environment would stay while others that can’t become naturally selected. These concerns are also shared by Richard Parasiliti, the tree warden of Northampton, Massachusetts. In a podcast that showcases an interview with Parasiliti, Parasiliti discusses how the sugar maple trees are an example of a species of tree that is not able to adjust to the change in habitat in New England. He had first-hand experience witnessing the increase in the mortality rates of sugar maple trees as the sugar maple trees that once coexisted in an old neighborhood in Northampton were no longer able to survive (Drummond, 2022). Not only do we lose the intrinsic value of maple trees like the use for aesthetic purposes, and cultural practices, being a keystone species and main source of food and shelter for local animals (Horsley, 2002), but we also lose the economic value of maple trees like the many businesses in New England centered around maple sugar production or wood from the maple sugar trees would suffer a lost (Bittersweet - How Climate Change Is Affecting the Sugar Maples of New England, 2019).

To combat some of the negative impacts of the loss of tree species in New England, Parasiliti has been working on changing the biodiversity of trees by diversifying the tree species in the community of Northampton. He plants tree species that would survive in the long run like tree species in the south of the United States that are able to survive in all types of environments such as bald cypress trees (Drummond, 2022).

So what should we do about this issue? We should go outside more often and observe the beauty in the trees that provide New England its charm before it is too late. We should become more aware of the tree species that surround us to spot the changes that are to come, realizing the local impacts of climate change. We can also engage organizations and people like our local tree wardens to create a livable environment for our local communities, learning the intricacies and misconceptions of planting trees, what types of trees to plant, volunteer service, or your backyard to the urban canopy of your community.

Works Cited:

“Bittersweet - How Climate Change Is Affecting the Sugar Maples of New England.” American Forests, 7 Oct. 2019, www.americanforests.org/article/bittersweet/.
Catanzaro, Paul, and Anthony D’amato. “FOREST CARBON An Essential Natural Solution for Climate Change.” MassWoods, 2019.
Cohen, Judah, et al. “Recent Arctic amplification and extreme mid-latitude weather.” Nature Geoscience, vol. 7, no. 9, 17 Aug. 2014, pp. 627–637, https://doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2234.
Horsley, Stephen B., et al. “Health of eastern North American sugar maple forests and factors affecting decline.” Northern Journal of Applied Forestry, vol. 19, no. 1, 1 Oct. 2002, pp. 34–44, https://doi.org/10.1093/njaf/19.1.34.
Johnson, Nathaniel C, et al. “Increasing occurrence of cold and warm extremes during the recent global warming slowdown.” Nature Communications, vol. 9, no. 1, 30 Apr. 2018, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-04040-y.
Nilsson, Ove. “Winter dormancy in trees.” Current Biology, vol. 32, no. 12, 20 June 2022, pp. R630–R634, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2022.04.011.
Drummond, Nina, et al, hosts. “HS S2 Ep4 保护环境 Protect the Earth,” episode 4, Spotify, 16 June 2022, https://open.spotify.com/episode/36Nn2VtX1bR1lbC3UyDW57?si=c8gQDPUvQqiQK....
Pramsohler, Manuel, and Gilbert Neuner. “Dehydration and osmotic adjustment in apple stem tissue during winter as it relates to the frost resistance of buds.” Tree Physiology, vol. 33, no. 8, 11 Aug. 2013, pp. 807–816, https://doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpt057.
“Stressors | Changes in Winter.” Changes in Winter | Massachusetts Wildlife Climate Action Tool, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2017, climateactiontool.org/content/changes-winter#:~:text=Average%20air%20temperatures%20in%20New,more%20than%203%20%C2%B0F.
Wang, Xue, et al. “Snow depths’ impact on soil microbial activities and carbon dioxide fluxes from a temperate wetland in Northeast China.” Scientific Reports, vol. 10, 26 May 2020, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-65569-x.