Vegetation type shifts in the Pacific Northwest region of the USA under 3 climate change scenarios

The dynamic vegetation model MC1 (USFS PNW and OSU) was run using historical climate (source: PRISM 800m res., C. Daly) to simulate vegetation cover. It can be compared to the Kuchler vegetation map for the area. One of the major difference is that it does not recognize the Willamette valley Puget Troph prairies as such since they are the results of prescribed fires by native people and European settlers.
One can then compare simulations of this historical/current vegetation cover with simulations under 3 different general circulation models - CSIRO (Australia), MIROC (Japan) and Hadley (UK) - climate projections assuming one CO2-eq emission scenario A2.
Under warm and wet MIROC scenario, warm vegetation tyeps currently existing in SW Oregon (subtropical warm types) move northward. It means a deciduous component enters the forest that switches from pure evergreen to mixed.
Under warmer and drier Hadley scenario, eastern vegetation types move westward. The maritime influence on the west side of the Cascades decreases as drier conditions settle in.
Under the moderate CSIRO, there is little change in vegetation types but one now needs to look at how carbon pools are affected under future scenarios. The vegetation type may not change but the amount of carbon captured and the soil sequestration potential may change.