Climate change is warming Canada’s great expanse of boreal forest, bringing greater risk of fire and disease

GEODE assistant research professor Logan Berner speaks to the CBC about changes underfoot in the boreal forest:

“There is emerging evidence that as the climate continues to warm, the boreal might shift northward”

As the climate warms, heat stress and drought cause trees at the southern margins of the boreal forest to die off. At the northern margins, warmer temperatures allow trees to expand. This pattern of “browning” and “greening” might shift boreal forests north.

Watch the video above or read the full piece to read more about boreal biome shift and other ways climate change is affecting Earth’s boreal forests.