Marc Abrams

Professor of Forest Ecology and Physiology

Marc Abrams

Research Summary

Community, historical and physiological ecology of tree species; global change biology.

Huck Affiliations

Links

Publication Tags

Climate Quercus Charcoal Deer Forest Dynamics Paleoecology Global Change Seedlings Oak Pollen Vegetation Land Use Temperature Odocoileus Virginianus Pinus Loss Disturbance Census North America Palatability Germany Forest Fires Fires Herbivores Census Data

Most Recent Papers

Native American imprint in palaeoecology

Marc D. Abrams, Gregory J. Nowacki, 2020, Nature Sustainability on p. 896-897

Reviewing Fire, Climate, Deer, and Foundation Species as Drivers of Historically Open Oak and Pine Forests and Transition to Closed Forests

Brice B. Hanberry, Marc D. Abrams, Mary A. Arthur, J. Morgan Varner, 2020, Frontiers in Forests and Global Change

Does white-tailed deer density affect tree stocking in forests of the Eastern United States?

Brice B. Hanberry, Marc D. Abrams, 2019, Ecological Processes

Global change impacts on forest and fire dynamics using paleoecology and tree census data for eastern North America

Marc D. Abrams, Gregory J. Nowacki, 2019, Annals of Forest Science

A model for longitudinal data sets relating wind-damage probability to biotic and abiotic factors

Kiyoshi Umeki, Marc D. Abrams, Keisuke Toyama, Eri Nabeshima, 2019, Forest Systems on p. 1-12

Witness Tree Records for the Early Colonial Period (1623-1700) of Eastern Virginia

Marc D. Abrams, Sarah E. Johnson, 2019, American Midland Naturalist on p. 115-122

Recognizing loss of open forest ecosystems by tree densification and land use intensification in the Midwestern USA

Brice B. Hanberry, Marc David Abrams, 2018, Regional Environmental Change on p. 1731-1740

Is increased precipitation during the 20th century statistically or ecologically significant in the eastern US?

Brice B. Hanberry, Marc D. Abrams, Joseph D. White, 2018, Journal of Land Use Science on p. 259-268

A regional assessment of white-tailed deer effects on plant invasion

Kristine M. Averill, David Mortensen, Erica A H. Smithwick, Susan Kalisz, William J. McShea, Norman A. Bourg, John D. Parker, Alejandro A. Royo, Marc David Abrams, David K. Apsley, Bernd Blossey, Douglas H. Boucher, Kai L. Caraher, Antonio DiTommaso, Sarah E. Johnson, Robert Masson, Victoria A. Nuzzo, 2018, AoB PLANTS

Large-scale catastrophic disturbance regimes can mask climate change impacts on vegetation – a reply to Pederson et al. (2014)

Marc David Abrams, Gregory J. Nowacki, 2018, Global Change Biology on p. e395-e396

Most-Cited Papers

Is climate an important driver of post-European vegetation change in the Eastern United States?

Gregory J. Nowacki, Marc D. Abrams, 2015, Global Change Biology on p. 314-334

Environmental control of daily stem growth patterns in five temperate broad-leaved tree species

Paul Köcher, Viviana Horna, Christoph Leuschner, Marc Abrams, 2012, Tree Physiology on p. 1021-1032

Long-term impacts of deer exclosures on mixed-oak forest composition at the Valley Forge National Historical Park, Pennsylvania, USA

Marc D. Abrams, Sarah E. Johnson, 2012, Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society on p. 167-180

Recognizing loss of open forest ecosystems by tree densification and land use intensification in the Midwestern USA

Brice B. Hanberry, Marc David Abrams, 2018, Regional Environmental Change on p. 1731-1740

A comparative study of physiological and morphological seedling traits associated with shade tolerance in introduced red oak (Quercus rubra) and native hardwood tree species in southwestern Germany

Christian Kuehne, Peter Nosko, Tobias Horwath, Jürgen Bauhus, Marc Abrams, 2014, Tree Physiology on p. 184-193

A regional assessment of white-tailed deer effects on plant invasion

Kristine M. Averill, David Mortensen, Erica A H. Smithwick, Susan Kalisz, William J. McShea, Norman A. Bourg, John D. Parker, Alejandro A. Royo, Marc David Abrams, David K. Apsley, Bernd Blossey, Douglas H. Boucher, Kai L. Caraher, Antonio DiTommaso, Sarah E. Johnson, Robert Masson, Victoria A. Nuzzo, 2018, AoB PLANTS

Exploring the Early Anthropocene Burning Hypothesis and Climate-Fire Anomalies for the Eastern U.S

Marc D. Abrams, Gregory J. Nowacki, 2015, Journal of Sustainable Forestry on p. 30-48

Global change impacts on forest and fire dynamics using paleoecology and tree census data for eastern North America

Marc D. Abrams, Gregory J. Nowacki, 2019, Annals of Forest Science

A 183-year history of fire and recent fire suppression impacts in select pine and oak forest stands of the menominee Indian reservation, Wisconsin

Benjamin A. Sands, Marc D. Abrams, 2011, American Midland Naturalist on p. 325-338

An interdisciplinary approach to better assess global change impacts and drought vulnerability on forest dynamics

Marc D. Abrams, Gregory J. Nowacki, 2016, Tree Physiology on p. 421-427

News Articles Featuring Marc Abrams

Sep 14, 2020

Penn State professors predict foliage coloration for fall 2020

Marc Abrams has lived in State College for 33 years. Abrams, a Penn State professor of forest ecology and physiology, said he has been called on annually for several years about whether the fall leaves would be as beautiful as years prior, with people picking his brain for his expertise of the foliage.

Full Article

Sep 08, 2020

Fall foliage outlooks are bullish for colors — and leaf-peeping crowds

A refreshing splash of normality is about to enter this disorienting autumn of Zoom classes, quarantines, and masked professors. The annual fall foliage show already is creeping across the woods, and early indications are that it will be more than a pleasant distraction.

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Sep 07, 2020

Northeast Drought Could Threaten Penn State Fall Foliage Display

Penn State’s fall foliage display might look a little less vibrant and a lot crisper this season. According to university experts, little rain in the long-term weather forecast could threaten Pennsylvania’s usually dynamic fall foliage.

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Sep 01, 2020

Dry conditions affecting harvest sizes, foliage

The fall foliage and fruit and corn harvests are getting hammered by a lack of rain.

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Aug 28, 2020

Fall foliage expert offers bleak outlook for some of Pennsylvania this fall

Fall foliage could be disappointing in some areas of Pennsylvania this fall, according to a Penn State forest expert.

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Aug 27, 2020

Penn State professor says growing drought causing trees to drop leaves means poor foliage display this fall

With little rain in the long-term weather forecast, a worsening drought in much of the Northeast portends trouble for Pennsylvania’s vaunted fall foliage display, according to a Penn State professor. At least in parts of the state.

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Aug 05, 2020

Don’t Downplay the Role of Indigenous People in Molding the Ecological Landscape

Climate has been a major driver of changes in vegetation over thousands of years—but not the only one

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Nov 21, 2019

Research looks into 400 years of Pennsylvania’s forests, which have been ‘completely transformed’

While forests of the northeastern U.S., from Pennsylvania north to Maine, may hold mostly the same tree species as they did 400 years ago, significant differences emerge under closer inspection.

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Nov 18, 2019

Attack of the acorns: Weather, chaos, or a vast oak conspiracy?

Jason Parker has witnessed the fallen masses, and so have his customers. “We have noticed quite a crop of acorns this fall,” said Parker, district manager for the Davey Tree Expert Co. branch in Horsham.

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Oct 28, 2019

How weather has impacted this season's fall foliage

AccuWeather meteorologist Lauren Rainson spoke with Penn State's Marc Abrams, professor of Forest Ecology and Tree Physiology on how recent drought conditions impacted peak fall foliage this season.

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