Aspen-birch forests may be tolerant of increased disturbance to climate change.

Submitted by sdhandler on

Aspen and paper birch are pioneer species evolved to thrive with regular disturbance. Wildfire and blowdown events could become more common under climate change, and continued management could benefit this forest type, but it is unknown whether aspen-birch forests would continue to persist if stand-replacing disturbances become much more frequent.