The largest areas of temperate forest are found in eastern NorthAmerica,
Europe, and eastern Asia. The overall trend for forests in these regions
has until recently been an increase in growth rates of trees and in total
carbon stocks. This has been attributed to a combination of increasing
growing season length, rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations, nitrogen
deposition, and forest management—specifically regrowth following
formerly more intensive harvesting regimes (Ciais et al., 2008). The
relative contribution of these factors has been the subject of substantial
and unresolved debate (Boisvenue and Running, 2006). Most temperate
forests are managed such that any change is and will be to a large
extent anthropogenic.