Spatial Bayesian models project shifts in suitable habitat for Pacific Northwest tree species under climate change

Abstract

We developed spatial Bayesian hierarchical models to assess potential climate change impacts on suitable habitat for five important tree species in the Pacific northwestern United States (California, Oregon, and Washington). Individual-species models were fit with presence-absence data from forest inventory field plots and spatial relationships were specified through a conditional autoregressive model. This modeling approach allowed us to visualize uncertainty in response curves, map current and future prediction uncertainty, and provide interval estimates for change. Upward elevational or northward latitudinal shifts in climatically suitable habitat were projected for all species.Climate change impacts were the most damaging for noble fir (Abies procera), for which 79%-100% of the current range was projected to become climatically unsuitable by the 2080s. Although coastal Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii) has been projected by others to gain habitat in Canada, within our study area we projected a net loss of climatically suitable habitat (ca. 8000-31,400 km 2 ) under three of four future climate scenarios. A net loss in habitat was also projected for Oregon white oak (Quercus garryana) under three of four scenarios, with 40%-60% of the current range becoming unsuitable.Although there was no net loss of habitat for forest land blue oak under any scenario, other factors like competition may inhibit blue oak (Quercus douglasii) and white oak from occupying areas projected to increase in climatic suitability. Additionally, between 13% and 32% of blue oak's current range was projected to become unsuitable; some of these areas aligned with dieback following the 2012-2015 California drought, which our data set predates. Unlike the other four species, we projected a 17%-25% increase in climatically suitable habitat for California black oak (Quercus kelloggii), although 1%-20% of the current range was still projected to become unsuitable. Our findings indicate that, although some species will face more pressure in tracking climatically suitable habitat than others, climate change will impact the location of suitable habitat for many species.