Interpreting mountain treelines in a changing world

Though the highest treelines of the northern hemisphere occur in the Himalaya, the terms treeline and timberline have until very recently been missing from the literature on this region. This book, largely based on research in the Indian Himalaya, attempts to fill the gap on Himalayan treelines. It covers ecology, tree water relations, temperature lapse rate, dendrochronology, tree phenology, distribution patterns, and spatial dimensions of climate warming over the decades. The project, led by the Central Himalayan Environment Association (CHEA) involved 6 research organizations, 11 investigators, and 20 research scholars.

Treeline research is providing new and valuable insights into how biota respond to climate change, the relationship between tree-ring growth and climate change in various seasons, the role of growth in relation to stress, seasonal variation in temperature lapse rate and the impact of elevation dependent warming, tree water relations and water conduits in trees, effects of early snow melt, endemism, and future changes.