1. General Model Information

Name: Temperate Forest Ecosystem Simulation Model

Acronym: TEMFES

Main medium: air+terrestrial
Main subject: biogeochemistry , forestry
Organization level: organism, landscape
Type of model: not specified, individual-based
Main application: research
Keywords: forest, ecosystem, CO2 concentration,gap model, forest succession, ecosystems processes, forest response to climate change, scaling up tree-physiological responses.

Contact:

Ned Nikolov

Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station
240 West Prospect Fort Collins, CO 80526
Phone: 970 498-1315
Fax: 970 498-1010
email: fsbo/s=n.nikolov/ou=s28a@mhs.attmail.com

Author(s):

Ned Nikolov

Abstract:

Predictions of forest ecosystem response to changes in climate and atmospheric CO2 concentration require hierarchically structured process models. Existing forest simulation models have conceptual limitations that restrict their application to climate-change studies. A major drawback of forest succession models is that they often lack physiological details in the simulation of annual tree growth. On the other hand, aggregated ecosystem models assume spatially homogeneous forests, and do not account for successional changes in forest composition and canopy structure. The concept of a new coupled carbon-water-energy-forest vegetation model is presented which attempts to overcome the main limitations of existing models by implementing a modern view of ecological hierarchy and a robust approach for scaling ecological processes in space and time. (Source: Nikolov, N.T. and Fox, D.G. 1994, Abstract)

TEMFES (Temperate Forest Ecosystem Simulation Model) is a model currently under development at the USDA FS/RMFRES (Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station) Laboratory in Fort Collins, Colorado. TEMFES is a process-based, predictive, simulation model designed to explore forest ecosystem response to changes in climate and atmospheric CO2 concentration at different spatial and temporal scales.

The model treats the forest ecosystem as a mosaic of discrete small patches. On every patch, the model simulates birth, growth and death of individual trees.

Required input data are:

The model provides output information on the temporal dynamics of forest productivity, species composition and structure. The effects of dwarf mistletoe are also incorporated into the model. The model uses both an hourly time step (for physiological processes) and a monthly time step (for all other processes). The model can examine processes at the forest gap (0.1 ha) to watershed scale.

Author of the abstract:

CIESIN

II. Technical Information

II.1 Executables:

Operating System(s): DOS

II.2 Source-code:

Programming Language(s): Pascal

II.3 Manuals:



II.4 Data:


III. Mathematical Information


III.1 Mathematics


III.2 Quantities


III.2.1 Input

Environmental data: Mean monthly temp., relative humidity, total precipitation, and their respective standard deviations; soil type and texture for every 0.3 layer of the profile; slope aspect and inclination, latitude and elevation. Tree species data: 33 species specific parameters to characterize species physiology, life history and morphology.

III.2.2 Output

Temporal dynamics of forest productivity, species composition and structure (size distributions by species, leaf area index distribution over space and by species).

Temporal Scale: Hourly for physiologic and hydrological processes, Monthly for soil organic matter transformation processes; Annual for tree growth.

IV. References

Nikolov, N.T. and Fox, D.G. 1994. A Coupled Carbon-Water-Energy-Vegetation Model to Assess Responses of Temperate Forest Ecosystems to Changes in Climate and Atmospheric CO2. Part I. Model Concept. Environmental Pollution, 83:1-2, 251-262.


V. Further information in the World-Wide-Web

  • TEMFES at the CIESIN Database

    VI. Additional remarks

    Global change implications:Once developed, this model can bereadily used to study the effects of elevated CO2 concentrations on forestecosystems.The model may be particularly useful in studying how different geneticstrains would be affected by climate change because of the detailed informationthe model provides on each tree species. This model could alsobe used to examine the effects of dwarf mistletoe on tree growthand development if climate change affects the distribution orgrowth rate of this epiphyte.
    Author: CIESIN
    Last review of this document by:     T. Gabele : Thu Sep 18 1997
    Status of the document:
    last modified by Tobias Gabele Wed Aug 21 21:44:51 CEST 2002

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