Climate Change and the Future of Deciduous Trees
Today we’ll be taking a look at how deciduous trees might be affected by climate change. In particular, global warming and the lack of freezing temperatures to some areas on the planet.
What are Deciduous Trees?
Simply stated, a deciduous tree is the kind of tree that loses leaves during the late fall before growing new ones during the spring as it comes back to life. It’s easy to see which trees are deciduous when temperatures drop during early fall as their leaves change color; falling to the ground by the beginning of winter.
Learn more about deciduous trees here: thetreecareguide.com/difference-between-deciduous-evergreen-trees/
Why do Deciduous Trees go Dormant?
As explained in the video, the dormant state of a deciduous tree is much like hibernation. Just like an animal will slow down their bodily functions to reduce their energy consumption, trees stop producing food during the winter which means they have no use for their leaves or the photosynthesis process.
Trees don’t freeze, even in their dormant, low energy state. If you could look closer you’d see that a tree prepares for winter on the cellular level. While it sounds incredible, a good part of the winter survival mechanism goes on inside the tree itself.
The main goal of dormancy is to prevent the living cells of the tree from freezing. As trees are made of – and utilize – living and dead cells, it’s perfectly fine for the dead cells to freeze; which is what happens.
Forests are Migrating According to Empirical Data
The Forest Inventory and Analysis Program of the US Forest Service is a sort of continuous census of the tree population in the country. The program, which has been around since the 1930s but really came to life in 1978, surveys the health, density, and species mix of forested areas of the United States. Take a look at the facts and analysis from the program.
Recent studies of empirical data shows evergreens and needle trees are following the cooler temperatures and migrating north. What’s really interesting is that broad leaf and deciduous trees are following the moisture and heading west.
All of this sounds a little bit crazy, but the study keeps track of statistics such as the movement of the “Center of Population” of different tree species.
Deciduous Trees are Quick to Adapt
Trees are able to adapt quickly to any change in the environment. Dormancy makes perfect sense if you understand it. Of course deciduous trees would migrate towards areas that have more moisture if you think about it.
To keep things short, deciduous trees are able to adapt and are sure to continue adapting to the changes in climate. We just hope they are able to adapt quick enough to stay ahead of global climate change.
