Which Vermont tree types might be most resilient during climate change?

BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - New research is out from the University of Vermont on the survival of young trees under extreme weather conditions.

The team worked in the UVM Jericho Research Forest testing different types of seedlings under various conditions to see which ones thrived and which ones did not.

It included subjecting the seedlings to conditions mimicking heavy rains and drought.

They found that trees with larger seeds, like oak trees, tended to weather the weather better.

“We know that this seedling stage is a critical bottleneck in the establishment of future forests. And so we really wanted to understand how climate, as well as the environmental factors, would influence the establishment of a future for us,” said Peter Clark, a UVM postdoctoral associate.

“Really thinking through in the parts of our landscapes where you are, what species exist there, how they might be impacted by changes in weather in those locations is important,” said Anthony D’Amato of the UVM Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources.

Researchers say this information can help inform which tree species Vermont might want to encourage in the future during land management processes.

Watch the video to see our Cat Viglienzoni’s full conversation with Peter Clark and Anthony D’Amato.

The study was published in Ecology.

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