A three decade assessment of climate-associated changes in forest composition across the north-eastern USA

1. Climate-associated changes in forest composition have been widely reported, particularly where changes in abiotic conditions have resulted in high mortality of sensitive species and have disproportionately favored certain species better adapted to these newer conditions. In the northeastern USA and southeastern Canada, few studies have examined climate-related influences associated on forest composition, and none have considered broad-scale changes over a long temporal (>25 years) period. 2. We used US Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis data from 1983-2014 across four northeastern states (Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont) to assess temporal and spatial changes in the occurrence and abundance of American beech, sugar maple (Acer sacharum L.), red maple (A. rubrum L.), and birch (Betula spp.) saplings. We also tested the effects of biotic and abiotic factors on the distribution of the four studied deciduous species over the entire studied period. 3. Occurrence a...