Occurrence and dominance of six Pacific Northwest conifer species

Abstract

This study develops near range-wide predictive distribution maps for six important conifer species (Pseudotsuga menziesii, Tsuga heterophylla, Pinus contorta, Thuja plicata, Larix occidentalis, and Picea glauca) using forest inventory data collected across the United States and Canada. Species model accuracies are compared with range size using a rank scoring system. A suite of climate and topographic predictor variables are used to investigate environmental constraints that limit species range and quantify relationships between species predicted probability of occurrence and dominance at both plot and landscape scales.

Keywords

bioclimatic envelope modeling, nonparametric multiplicative regression (NPMR), probability of occurrence, realized niche, tree species dominance

Citation

Schroeder, Todd A.; Hamann, Andreas; Wang, Tongli; Coops, Nicholas C. 2010. Occurrence and dominance of six Pacific Northwest conifer species. Journal of Vegetation Science. 21: 586-596.