RESPONSES AND FEEDBACKS OF GLOBAL FORESTS TO CLIMATE CHANGE

The accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere over the past century is projected to cause a warming of the Earth. Climate change predictions vary by region and terrestrial biosphere response and feedbacks will be ecosys-tem specific. Forests playa major role in the Earth's car-bon cycle through assimilation of CO2, storage of carbon, and emission of greenhouse gases. Simulation models have been employed to examine the possible responses to climate change of global forest ecosystems. Major shifts in forest species distribution and composition are predicted in response to projected climate change within the next 50-80 years. The range of some species is expected to shift dramatically in biomes worldwide. Savanna-type vege-tation could replace some forests under the more extreme climate change predictions in temperate latitudes. The ultimate response and feedbacks of forests will be influ-enced by the direction and magnitude of climate change, site quality, and other stress agents. Establishment of new forests and implementation of management practices could potentially be used to sequester significant amounts of at-mospheric CO. Preliminary evidence suggests the terres-trial biospher; could be managed to reduce accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and mitigate nega-tive impacts of climate change