Go West My Sap (https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/05/go-west-my-sap/526899/)
QuoteThere are a patchwork of other forces which could cause tree populations to shift west, though. Changes in land use, wildfire frequency, and the arrival of pests and blights could be shifting the population. So might the success of conservation efforts. But Fei and his colleagues argue that at least 20 percent of the change in population area is driven by changes in precipitation, which are heavily influenced by human-caused climate change.
Quote from: Pasta Chick on December 25, 2017, 02:45:17 PM
Go West My Sap (https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2017/05/go-west-my-sap/526899/)
QuoteThere are a patchwork of other forces which could cause tree populations to shift west, though. Changes in land use, wildfire frequency, and the arrival of pests and blights could be shifting the population. So might the success of conservation efforts. But Fei and his colleagues argue that at least 20 percent of the change in population area is driven by changes in precipitation, which are heavily influenced by human-caused climate change.
Waitung fir Trump to declare it fake news...
It seems even the Ents want to get as far away from Trump as possible. :news:
Joking aside, it is interesting to see how entire populations of lifeforms try to adapt to environmental changes, and maybe it isn't as slow as some of us like to think it is.
Fascinating, but it makes sense. Generational migration...
Quote from: joeactor on December 26, 2017, 02:23:11 PM
Fascinating, but it makes sense. Generational migration...
Yup, insects have been doing it for a long time. For some decades a very skinny spider that normally lives warmer lines, mid-France down, has been migrating north - I think it has reached Scotland now.
There are many sea creatures found round Britain that you once had to go to the Med to see and the coldwater corals are dying off or heading for the Arctic.
As the Mediterranean coast gets drier and things get warmer here malaria carrying mossies may re-invade Britain again.
We have the dreaded Lion fish in our waters now. It was previously found in warmer waters. Not sure whether it was a climate caused migration or the irresponsible release of the beasties by exotic fish enthusiasts.
Our Burmese pythons are the result of amateur herpitologist types releasing the too big ones into the wild. I do not believe that they migrated from Burma because of weather patterns.
Trees: My daughter, for Xmas, gave me an absurdly expensive bottle of single cask, 15 year old scotch whiskey, Balvenie by name. It came with a propaganda sheet from the distiller in Dufftown Banfshire Sotland. The text explained that American oak has fewer open cells than European oak. Thus the European oak is preferred for elegant whiskies. They claim that they make wine in the casks before they make the whiskey. That is so that the hard stuff can have some hints of the residual grape essence.
It will not matter that our trees may be moving west except for the needs of the lumber industry. Some of the middle states need trees badly. Take the state of Kansas for example. It is in the middle of the nation, therefore relatively west. Kansas has vast expanses with no trees at all. You can drive for miles and miles without seeing a tree. The Dakotas too are far west of the eastern coast and you can also drive for miles and miles without seeing even one tree. Nebraska is not quite an arboretum either.