NE Forests 2100: A synthesis of climate change impacts on forests of the northeastern US and eastern Canada

Human activities such as the combustion of fossil fuels and changes in land use are increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases (e.g., nitrous oxide, methane, halocarbons). Climate models indicate that these heat-trapping gases are likely to increase the Earth’s average surface air temperature by 1.1 to 6.4 °C by the end of the twenty-first century, depending on a complex array of future emission scenarios, land management, and various positive and negative feedback mechanisms (IPCC 2007).