Forests are falling behind in the race against climate change, according to new research co-authored by Professor Erin Saupe.
Forests are falling behind in the race against climate change, according to new research co-authored by Professor Erin Saupe. The study, published in the journal Science, reveals that it takes centuries for tree populations to adapt - far too slow to keep pace with today’s rapidly warming world.
Ecologists are concerned that forest ecosystems will not keep pace with a rapidly changing climate, failing to remain healthy and productive. Before the rapid climate change of the past century, tree populations in the Northern Hemisphere adapted to colder and warmer periods over thousands of years. During onsets of Ice Ages, tree populations migrated south, seeking warmer conditions as global temperatures cooled, their seeds dispersed by winds and carried by animals. When the climate warmed again, tree species adapted by migrating north to more suitable conditions. Mature trees are long-lived, and their populations can’t migrate quickly. Current climate change is happening faster than many forests can adapt and thrive, creating a mismatch between the pace of warming and forests’ natural adaptation.
This new study shows that forests have a lag time of one to two centuries before shifting tree populations in response to climate changes. The research team set out to map the timescales at which tree populations respond to climate change, examining pollen data from lake sediment cores spanning the last 600,000 years of Earth’s history.
Read more at University of Oxford
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