The velocity of global climate change is too fast for long-lived trees to adapt. Their populations can’t meet the need migration rate. In their study Zhang, et al. 2021, found six of seven forest classes in China, under future climate shifted habitat northward 35-346 km, and shifted optimum elevation upward by 15-486 m.
35-346 km Northward
15 – 486 m Upward in elevation
This shift has large implications for forestry in China in the coming decades. More land will become suitable for growing trees. Along the Hu Line, the climate optimum will shift opening land for forestation. Under future climate conditions these sites are best matched to forests planted with assisted migration.
Zhang, L., Sun, P., Huettmann, F., & Liu, S. (2022). Where should China practice forestry in a warming world? Global Change Biology, 28, 2461– 2475. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16065
