Plants Must Migrate to Survive Climate Change. But They Need Our Help

By Ciara Nugent
Time Magazine
February 15, 2023
Category: Forestry
Region: United States

When we talk about climate migration, we don’t normally picture a seed blowing uphill in the wind, or landing in a cooler place. Yet, plants around the world are being forced move because of shifting climate conditions in their original habitats. The problem, according to two new studies, is they don’t always make it where they need to go. The sheer speed of temperature increases in the climate crisis era, combined with the fragmentation of landscapes by human activity, is making it harder for trees and other plants to follow their preferred climate conditions. These changes are disrupting a millenia-old process of plant migration, and it could pose a major challenge to global efforts to protect wildlife and reforest land to fight climate change. …if we want plants to survive shifts in their habitats, we’ll have to give them some help.

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