Study Area
We conducted our study across the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. Nova Scotia is a narrow peninsula covering approximately 55,000 square kilometers and extending three degrees of latitude and six degrees of longitude. It is characterized by low to moderate elevation, mostly gentle relief, podzolic soils, and a relatively wide range of local climatic conditions. Much of Nova Scotia is part of the temperate Acadian Forest Zone, except higher montane areas which are outliers of the Eastern Boreal Forest Zone in Canada (Baldwin et al. 2020).
Below, we summarize field-based response data and remotely sensed predictors employed in our models. Those summaries are followed by model overviews and procedures for mapping spatial patterns.