If Northern Trees Suffer Because Of Global Warming, Southern Trees May Still Be Slow To Replace Them
Monday, July 21, 2008 - 10:07
in Paleontology & Archaeology
If a warmer Wisconsin climate causes some northern tree species to disappear in the future, it's easy to imagine that southern species will just expand their range northward as soon as the conditions suit them. The reality, though, may not be nearly so simple. A new model suggests that while certain northern species, such as balsam fir, spruce and jack pine, are likely to decline as the state's climate warms, oaks, hickories and other southern Wisconsin trees will be slow to replace them.