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1. Forests play a strong role in the global carbon cycle by absorbing atmospheric carbon dioxide through increasing forest biomass. Understanding temporal trends of forest net above-ground biomass change (Delta AGB) can help infer how forest carbon sequestration responds to ongoing climate changes. Despite wide spatial variation in the long-term average of climate moisture availability (CMIaverage) across forest ecosystems, temporal trends of Delta AGB associated with CMIaverage remain unclear.

2. We tested the hypothesis that the negative impacts of climate change on Delta AGB would decrease with CMIaverage using the data from permanent sample plots, monitored from 1958 to 2011, with stand ages varying from 17 to 210 years, in western boreal forests of Canada.

3. We found that Delta AGB on average increased with CMIaverage. Temporally, Delta AGB declined sharply between 1958 and 2011 in plots with low CMIaverage owing to increased biomass loss from mortality accompanied by little growth gain, whereas Delta AGB changed little in plots with high CMIaverage. The temporal decrease of Delta AGB in drier areas was attributable to its negative responses to warming-induced temporal decreases in climate moisture availability.

4. Synthesis. Our results indicate that large-scale changes in forest carbon functioning associated with climate change depend on the long-term average of climate moisture availability. Our finding suggests a possible retreat of boreal biome at the drier distribution limits with predicted declines in water availability in the 21st century.