A Simulation Model of Environmental Processes and Vegetation Patterns in Boreal Forests: Test Case Fairbanks, Alaska

In this study, a simulation model of environmental processes in upland boreal forests was combined with a gap model of species-specific demographic responses to these processes. Required parameters consisted of easily obtainable climatic, soils, and species parameters. The model successfully reproduced seasonal patterns of solar radiation, soil moisture, and depths of freeze and thaw for different topographies at Fairbanks, Alaska. The model also adequately simulated stand structure and vegetation patterns for boreal forests in the uplands of interior Alaska. These analyses suggest that this modeling approach is valid for upland boreal forests in interior Alaska and have identified the critical processes and parameters required to understand the ecology of these forests. If validated in other bioclimatic regions, this model may provide a framework for a circumpolar comparison of boreal forests and a mechanistic context for bioclimatic classifications of boreal forest regions