Description
Dr. Angelica Patterson, a plant ecophysiologist and science communicator from Mount Holyoke College explores how climate-induced shifts in the tree species that make up northeastern forests may impact their carbon storage potential, and how we can mitigate these changes. Climate Change, Tree Migration and the future of Northeastern Forests
Our plant list comes from the USDA Climate Change Tree Atlas and other resources for a kit of highly adaptable trees and shrubs for ecoregion 59. The kit contains 25 trees and shrubs.
| Adaptability Score | Adaptability Notes | |||
| 1 | Eastern Red Cedar | Juniperus virginiana | 7.1 | High adaptability; tolerant of drought, poor soils, and disturbance; broad range; model shows expansion. |
| 1 | plum, beach | Prunus maritima | 7 | Not in Atlas; coastal species, highly salt- and drought-tolerant; stable on dunes; likely high adaptability. |
| 1 | rose, Virginia | Rosa virginiana | 7 | Not in Atlas; drought- and salt-tolerant; thrives in open, disturbed habitats; adaptability likely high. |
| 1 | plum, wild american | Prunus americana | 7 | Not in Atlas; drought-tolerant, suckering shrub/tree; well adapted to disturbance; likely high adaptability. |
| 1 | willow, prairie | Salix humilis | 7 | Not in Atlas; upland willow; drought-tolerant and adaptable to dry, sandy soils; likely high adaptability. |
| 1 | cherry, eastern sand | Prunus pumila | 7 | Not in Atlas; suckering dune/shrubland species; tolerant of poor, dry soils; likely high adaptability. |
| 1 | Coralberry | Symphoricarpos orbiculatus | 7 | Not in Atlas; drought-tolerant, suckering shrub; thrives in disturbed areas; likely high adaptability. |
| 1 | Winterberry | Ilex verticillata | 6 | Not in Atlas; wetland shrub; tolerates flooding and acidic soils; moderate-to-high resilience in native range. |
| 1 | Northern bayberry | Myrica pensylvanica | 6 | Not in Atlas; nitrogen-fixing shrub; salt- and drought-tolerant; likely high ecological adaptability. |
| 1 | hazelnut, american | Corylus americana | 6 | Not in Atlas; drought-tolerant understory shrub; adaptable to different soil types; likely moderate-to-high adaptability. |
| 1 | rose, swamp | Rosa palustris | 6 | Not in Atlas; wetland species; tolerates flooding and poor soils; likely moderate-to-high adaptability. |
| 1 | Viburnum. Arrowwood | Viburnum dentatum | 6 | Not included in the USDA Climate Change Tree Atlas. Based on ecological traits, it’s moderately to highly adaptable: tolerant of moisture variability (wet to dry soils), partial shade to sun, salt (coastal zones), and disturbance. Resprouts readily, spreads by suckers, and bird-dispersed seeds support broad distribution. Susceptible to viburnum leaf beetle and some deer herbivory, but overall resilient in its native eastern U.S. range |
| 1 | Cottonwood, eastern | Populus Deltoides | 5.9 | High adaptability; flood-tolerant, fast-growing, disturbance-adapted; model shows stable or slightly increasing range. |
| 1 | chokeberry, black | Aronia melanocarpa | 5.8 | Not in Atlas; similar to A. arbutifolia; hardy, drought-tolerant, used in restoration; likely high adaptability. |
| 1 | maple, sugar | Acer saccharum | 5.8 | High reliability; modest projected decline, good shade tolerance, infill potential |
| 1 | hackberry | Celtis occidentalis | 5.8 | Moderately high adaptability; drought-tolerant, wide habitat range; gains projected in most regions; reliable model. |
| 1 | willow, silky | Salix sericea | 5.8 | Not in Atlas; often treated as a variant of S. purpurea; likely similarly adaptable in wet sites. |
| 1 | willow, purple basket | Salix purpurea | 5.8 | High adaptability; introduced but widely naturalized; fast-growing and flood-tolerant; often used in restoration. |
| 1 | willow, basket streamco | Salix purpurea streamco | 5.8 | High adaptability; introduced but widely naturalized; fast-growing and flood-tolerant; often used in restoration. |
| 1 | Bald Cypress | Taxodium distichum | 5.8 | High adaptability; flood-tolerant conifer; thrives in saturated soils; range may expand with warming. |
| 1 | chokeberry, red | Aronia arbutifolia | 5.8 | Not in Atlas; wetland shrub; tolerant of poor, acidic soils and periodic flooding; likely moderate-to-high adaptability. |
| 1 | Oak, chinquapin | Quercus muehlenbergii | 5.7 | High adaptability; limestone-loving; drought-tolerant and disturbance-resilient; habitat likely expanding. |
| 1 | oak, bur | Quercus macrocarpa | 5.6 | High adaptability; drought- and cold-tolerant; wide range of soils; model shows stable or expanding habitat. |
| 1 | willow, black | Salix nigra | 5.6 | High adaptability; flood-tolerant, fast-growing; common in riparian zones; model shows stable or increasing range. |
| 1 | willow, sandbar | Salix exigua | 5.5 | High adaptability; thrives in disturbed riparian zones; fast-growing and flood-tolerant. |