Helping Forests Keep Pace with Climate Change

Trees naturally adapt to their environment—branches grow toward sunlight, while roots stretch toward water sources, sometimes even infiltrating underground pipes or household plumbing. While a single tree cannot move, entire forests have historically shifted in response to environmental changes. During the Ice Age, for instance, forests gradually migrated southward at rates of 100 to 500 meters per year.

However, the pace of modern climate change, driven by human activity, now far exceeds the speed at which forests can naturally adapt. Rising sea levels threaten mangroves, warming temperatures impact the growth of white spruce in Canada, and prolonged droughts endanger pinyon pines in the American Southwest. In response, scientists are stepping in to help trees relocate.

In Minnesota, for example, forests along the Mississippi River are under siege from flooding and invasive beetles. Researchers are introducing more climate-resilient species like cottonwoods and willows to replace vulnerable trees such as silver maples. Agencies like the U.S. Forest Service have developed guides to assist forest managers in adapting to climate change, working alongside Indigenous communities to ensure ecological and cultural needs are respected.

The goal is not to completely transform forest ecosystems but to preserve their essential functions—functions that many communities still rely on. Though forests move slowly, with human support, they may yet find new ground in an era of rapid climate shifts.