Chapter 6: Vegetation

• Main Authors: Berman, Matthew, DeVelice, Robert, Hollingsworth, Teresa Nettleton, Bella, Elizabeth, Carlson, Matthew L., Clark, Paul, Barrett, Tara, Hayward, Gregory D., Lundquist, John, Magness, Dawn Robin, Schwoerer, Tobias
• Format: Book Part
• Language: English
• Published: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Pacific Northwest Research Station 2016
• Subjects: arctic communities; vegetation; kenai peninsula; chugach; climate change; salmon; glacier; wildlife; seascapes; snow; scenarios; adaptive capacity; Arctic; Salmon Glacier; Climate change; Pink salmon; Tundra
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11122/11953

This assessment evaluates the effects of future climate change on a select set of ecological systems and ecosystem services in Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula and Chugach National Forest regions. The focus of the assessment was established during a multi-agency/organization workshop that established the goal to conduct a rigorous evaluation of a limited range of topics rather than produce a broad overview. The report explores the potential consequences of climate change for: (a) snowpack, glaciers, and winter recreation; (b) coastal landscapes and associated environments, (c) vegetation, (d) salmon, and (e) a select set of wildlife species. During the next half century, directional change associated with warming temperatures and increased precipitation will result in dramatic reductions in snow cover at low elevations, continued retreat of glaciers, substantial changes in the hydrologic regime for an estimated 8.5 percent of watersheds, and potentially an increase in the abundance of pink salmon. In contrast to some portions of the Earth, apparent sealevel rise is likely to be low for much of the assessment region owing to interactions between tectonic processes and sea conditions. Shrubs and forests are projected to continue moving to higher elevations, reducing the extent of alpine tundra and potentially further affecting snow levels. Opportunities for alternative forms of outdoor recreation and subsistence activities that include sled-dog mushing, hiking, hunting, and travel using across-snow vehicles will change as snowpack levels, frozen soils, and vegetation change over time. There was a projected 66-percent increase in the estimated value of human structures (e.g. homes, businesses) that are at risk to fire in the next half century on the Kenai Peninsula, and a potential expansion of invasive plants, particularly along roads, trails, and waterways.