Overwhelming evidence contributing to climate change continues to complicate the livelihood and viability of all living organisms on earth. One of the major causative factors to climate change is the exponential increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases within the atmosphere. Tree biomass not only supplies nutrients and fuels integral for survival, it also provides enormous reservoirs which sequester carbon, a ubiquitous greenhouse gas. Western North America is home to a vast variety of dynamic geographic regions and socio-ecological systems, each having left lasting environmental impacts. Arguably, future climatic predictions indicate that organisms as seemingly immobile as trees will have to biologically adapt, resist, and reproduce in alternative locations or else face extinction. Our spatial analysis examines the suitable habitat extent of the Oregon White Oak (Quercus garryana) and the historic climatic conditions of western North America, in order to simulate where future suitable climatic conditions will exist for the survival of this tree species.
The results provide mostly accurate information on the outcome of locating suitable habitats for Oregon white oak, based upon the climate variables that indicate the requirements for the Oregon white oak habitat. Through multiple spatial analysis tools used, we were able to provide an output of areas that are suitable for the Oregon white oak habitat to occupy. This data created has many potential uses that extend beyond Oregon white oak, such as identifying areas of organisms who may have a habitat that specifically resides where there is Oregon white oak present. In order to gain a more accurate display of our data for suitable habitats, we would need a greater variety of climatic variables that the Oregon white oak rely on in order to live. Although time consuming, the more variables such as soil type, temperature, humidity, precipitation, etc., the better result/outcome we would receive for our data being displayed.