Articles | Volume 22, issue 23
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-7725-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-22-7725-2025
© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
08 Dec 2025
Research article |
| 08 Dec 2025
| 08 Dec 2025
Long-term forest-line dynamics in the French Pyrenees: an accelerating upward shift related to forest context, global warming and pastoral abandonment
Noémie Delpouve
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Université de Lorraine, AgroParisTech, INRAE, SILVA, 54000 Nancy, France
Laurent Bergès
Université Grenoble Alpes, INRAE, LESSEM, 38402 Saint-Martin-d'Hères, France
Jean-Luc Dupouey
Université de Lorraine, AgroParisTech, INRAE, SILVA, 54000 Nancy, France
Sandrine Chauchard
Université de Lorraine, AgroParisTech, INRAE, SILVA, 54000 Nancy, France
Nathalie Leroy
Université de Lorraine, AgroParisTech, INRAE, SILVA, 54000 Nancy, France
Erwin Thirion
Université de Lorraine, AgroParisTech, INRAE, SILVA, 54000 Nancy, France
Cyrille B. K. Rathgeber
Université de Lorraine, AgroParisTech, INRAE, SILVA, 54000 Nancy, France
Related authors
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Jianhong Lin, Daniel Berveiller, Christophe François, Heikki Hänninen, Alexandre Morfin, Gaëlle Vincent, Rui Zhang, Cyrille Rathgeber, and Nicolas Delpierre
Geosci. Model Dev., 17, 865–879, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-865-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-17-865-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Currently, the high variability of budburst between individual trees is overlooked. The consequences of this neglect when projecting the dynamics and functioning of tree communities are unknown. Here we develop the first process-oriented model to describe the difference in budburst dates between individual trees in plant populations. Beyond budburst, the model framework provides a basis for studying the dynamics of phenological traits under climate change, from the individual to the community.
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Short summary
Worldwide, the upper forest line has climbed over the past decades, shaping mountain landscapes in response to global changes. Thanks to historical land-use maps, we documented the forest-line rise across the entire French Pyrenees and over a long time span. The forest line has moved upward since the 1850s, driven by the regional abandonment of grazing and the presence of the mountain pine. Despite the recent acceleration of this shift, the closed forest line has moved upward even faster.
Worldwide, the upper forest line has climbed over the past decades, shaping mountain landscapes...
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