Patterns and causes of observed piñon pine mortality in the southwestern United States

New Phytologist
By: , and 

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Abstract

Recently, widespread piñon pine die-off occurred in the southwestern United States. Here we synthesize observational studies of this event and compare findings to expected relationships with biotic and abiotic factors. Agreement exists on the occurrence of drought, presence of bark beetles and increased mortality of larger trees. However, studies disagree about the influences of stem density, elevation and other factors, perhaps related to study design, location and impact of extreme drought. Detailed information about bark beetles is seldom reported and their role is poorly understood. Our analysis reveals substantial limits to our knowledge regarding the processes that produce mortality patterns across space and time, indicating a poor ability to forecast mortality in response to expected increases in future droughts.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Patterns and causes of observed piñon pine mortality in the southwestern United States
Series title New Phytologist
DOI 10.1111/nph.13193
Volume 206
Issue 1
Year Published 2015
Language English
Publisher New Phytologist Trust
Publisher location London, England
Contributing office(s) Fort Collins Science Center
Description 7 p.
First page 91
Last page 97
Country United States
Online Only (Y/N) N
Additional Online Files (Y/N) N
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