Reyer, CPOBrouwers, NRammig, ABrook, BWEpila, JGrant, RFHolmgren, MLangerwisch, FLeuzinger, SLucht, WMedlyn, BPfeifer, MSteinkamp, JVanderwel, MCVerbeeck, HVillela, DMCoomes, David2025-03-062025-03-062015Journal of Ecology, ISSN: 0022-0477 (Print); 1365-2745 (Online), Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 103(1), 5-15. doi: 10.1111/1365-2745.123370022-04771365-2745http://hdl.handle.net/10292/18824Summary: Anthropogenic global change compromises forest resilience, with profound impacts to ecosystem functions and services. This synthesis paper reflects on the current understanding of forest resilience and potential tipping points under environmental change and explores challenges to assessing responses using experiments, observations and models. Forests are changing over a wide range of spatio-temporal scales, but it is often unclear whether these changes reduce resilience or represent a tipping point. Tipping points may arise from interactions across scales, as processes such as climate change, land-use change, invasive species or deforestation gradually erode resilience and increase vulnerability to extreme events. Studies covering interactions across different spatio-temporal scales are needed to further our understanding. Combinations of experiments, observations and process-based models could improve our ability to project forest resilience and tipping points under global change. We discuss uncertainties in changing CO2 concentration and quantifying tree mortality as examples. Synthesis. As forests change at various scales, it is increasingly important to understand whether and how such changes lead to reduced resilience and potential tipping points. Understanding the mechanisms underlying forest resilience and tipping points would help in assessing risks to ecosystems and presents opportunities for ecosystem restoration and sustainable forest management. As forests change at various scales, it is increasingly important to understand whether and how such changes lead to reduced resilience and potential tipping points. Understanding the mechanisms underlying forest resilience and tipping points would help in assessing risks to ecosystems and presents opportunities for ecosystem restoration and sustainable forest management.© 2015 The Authors. Journal of Ecology © 2015 British Ecological Society. Free access.CO 2Climate changeDroughtEnvironmental changeMortalityPlant-climate interactionsRegime shiftsReviewSpatio-temporal scalesVulnerabilityclimate changeCO2droughtenvironmental changemortalityplant-climate interactionsregime shiftsreviewspatio-temporal scalesvulnerability31 Biological Sciences3103 Ecology15 Life on Land13 Climate Action05 Environmental Sciences06 Biological Sciences07 Agricultural and Veterinary SciencesEcology3103 EcologyJournal ArticleOpenAccess10.1111/1365-2745.12337