Foster, DavidOswald, WilliamFaison, EdwardDoughty, ElaineHansen, Barbara2017-03-082006Foster, D. R., Oswald, W. W. , Faison, E. K. , Doughty, E. D. , Hansen, B. C. S. 2006. A climatic driver for abrupt mid-Holocene vegetation dynamics and the hemlock decline in New England. Ecology 87: 2959-2966.0012-9658http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:30676636The mid-Holocene decline of eastern hemlock is widely viewed as the sole prehistorical example of an insect- or pathogen-mediated collapse of a North American tree species and has been extensively studied for insights into pest–host dynamics and the consequences to terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems of dominant-species removal. We report paleoecological evidence implicating climate as a major driver of this episode. Data drawn from sites across a gradient in hemlock abundance from dominant to absent demonstrate: a synchronous, dramatic decline in a contrasting taxon (oak); changes in lake sediments and aquatic taxa indicating low water levels; and one or more intervals of intense drought at regional to continental scales. These results, which accord well with emerging climate reconstructions, challenge the interpretation of a biotically driven hemlock decline and highlight the potential for climate change to generate major, abrupt dynamics in forest ecosystems.en-USclimate changeforest dynamicshemlock declineHoloceneNew England (USA)oak declinepaleoecologypollen recordJournal Article2017-03-0810.1890/0012-9658(2006)87[2959:ACDFAM]2.0.CO;2