March 4, 2024
Joseph Phillips, Northern Research Station
Throughout history, the Earth has experienced many shifts in climate. Each change left marks upon its landscapes and biodiversity. For instance, as the last Ice Age came to its close, the retreating glaciers made way for tree species to migrate into previously inhospitable environments in North America and Europe. But today, the abrupt speed of human-caused climate change poses new challenges to forest ecosystems worldwide, threatening their health and long-term resilience. With temperatures rising and precipitation patterns shifting, tree populations face difficulty adapting to these rapidly evolving conditions, while better adapted tree varieties lack the natural migration rate to shift their distribution amidst the rapid climate change.
In essence, the clock is ticking and trees are struggling to keep pace. To tackle this challenge, natural resource managers are turning to forward-thinking strategies to aide in the long-term health of forests in the face of climate change. One such strategy is assisted migration, and at the forefront of this approach lies the DREAM (Desired Regeneration through Assisted Migration) Project.