Tree mortality in a warming world: causes, patterns, and implications

This ERL focus collection has published 17 papers that have advanced our understanding of different dimensions of warming-induced tree mortality. Here we summarize these focus collection papers, organized by four topics related to tree mortality: pathogens, droughts/heat waves, fire/bark beetles, and teleconnections/air pollution. This focus collection illustrates a variety of methods in measuring and modeling tree-mortality, and adds significant new research findings into the scientific literature on tree mortality from hotter droughts. Some of these results also are useful for policymakers and forest managers in addressing amplified forest stress and tree mortality as a result of increasingly severe warming-induced climate and weather extremes.

Automated summary

This focus collection of papers includes 17 publications that have enhanced our understanding of tree mortality caused by climate warming. These papers cover various aspects such as pathogens, droughts/heat waves, fire/bark beetles, and teleconnections/air pollution. The collection presents a range of methods used for measuring and modeling tree mortality, and contributes significant new findings to the existing scientific literature on this topic. The results of these studies are also valuable for policymakers and forest managers in addressing the increasing stress and mortality of trees due to severe warming-induced climate and weather extremes.