Many temperate forests contain both deciduous and coniferous species.
Much of central and easter Massachusetts is located in the transition zone between forests dominated largely by either deciduous or evergreen species. Being a transition zone, climatic change, especially N- deposition, increasing levels of CO2 and temperature rise, can shift the balance between these two elements and greatly change the structure of the forest and its patterns of carbon flux. To understand the potential of forest systems to provide carbon dioxide sinks, we need to understand patterns of carbon allocation and fluxes within systems. The fate of carbon, assimilated via photosynthesis into forest ecosystems, is variable. A portion of the products of photosynthesis is assimilated into long-lived woody tissue, but much is incorporated into more ephemeral organs such as leaves and fine roots.