Climate Change is Causing Trees To Migrate

In search of more rain, some species of trees are moving west. Others, looking to escape the heat, are headed north, according to a report by Nexus Media.

While individual trees aren’t actually getting up and moving or hopping on a bus, species are gradually migrating in different directions, and it’s largely due to climate change, the report says.

Changes in the climate are producing more heat and heavier rainfall, increasing deforestation. Species such as oak and maple are headed west in search of more rain, while species such as evergreens migrate north to find lower temperatures.

While the migrations could help preserve certain species of trees, it could also have a major impact on forest ecosystems around the world.

Songlin Fei, an associate professor at Purdue University’s department of forestry and natural resources, has studied the phenomenon of migrating trees and found that between 1980 and 2015, 73 percent of tree species shifted west, while 62 percent moved north.

“The majority of the species move westward are broadleaf species that can better handle flood and drought, and have large seed mass, which improves the seedling’s ability to survive,” he told Nexus Media.

Fei’s study focused on the eastern half of the U.S., where species moved, on average, about 10 miles per decade.