Future Implications

As the effects of climate change become increasingly profound, it is likely Dwarf Mistletoe will have a proportionate effect as it expands its range (Barret et al., 2012) and becomes less limited in elevation due to the lessening of cold conditions (Dobbertin, 2005). In this sense, it is likely people will consider it more and more a pest, particularly in the lumber industry, an extremely important economic industry in the Pacific Northwest. Furthermore, the likely water stress caused by increasing variation in the timing of precipitation associated with climate change (Phillips et al,. 2009) will be exacerbated by the increased transpiration rates caused by mistletoe. This combined with an expansion of range will likely result in increased conifer mortality.

Despite the likelihood of increased tree mortality, habitat availability for a number of birds and small mammals might actually increase as these sites make for excellent nesting and foraging, and reduce predation. In addition, snags (dead standing trees), a key component for wildlife, will likely increase as well as a result of increased tree mortality. Nevertheless, it is clear that forest composition will change and will accordingly affect species composition, likely favoring birds and mammals that utilize these new habitats. However, despite there being some research on the effects of mistletoe on wildlife, and the effect of climate change on mistletoe distribution, there is little data on the effect mistletoe will have on wildlife in the context of a shifting climate. For example, how will reduced avian nest predation affect the upper trophic levels that depended on those nests as a food source? This only demonstrates the complexity of the system we are dealing with, and how little we actually know when we are dealing with a single component, let alone a huge, widely dynamic ecosystem.


Deformation of a conifer limb by mistletoe. washingtondnr.wordpress.com