Global Warming Spurring On Issues In Forests

Scientists have been checking out all species in the various forest ecosystems and are noticing patterns that are making them uncomfortable. In particular, tropical and subtropical regions are showing the stress of weather changes is affecting growth.

The concern is particularly high with trees that are rarer, only grow in specific regions and affect the living interconnected growing world around them. Any trees that replace them are fast growing species that do not deliver the same value for the ecosystem.

Those trees that grow rapidly do not have the benefit of stability offered with species that take time to develop and work closely with temperatures over eons. Even the leaves are different, thicker, more resilient.

Another key finding is they store carbon better and in greater quantities and so these species disappearing will leave a gap felt by the entire system. And that in turn affects the soil since it will not be protected as well.

One thing preventing these old stable trees from regrowing is this space is now occupied by fast growers and that means competing for the same resources. But humans are creating much of this upheaval because they are not changing their habits.

Greed is making humans choose those stable old growers over any others. They can make more money and poor forest management means waiting longer for the same product.

We cannot expect to use the same products when it is proven this way of usage is not sustainable. So we need to examine how we are doing things and adapt. Nature can only do so much and it is time we offer support rather than constantly ramping up our needs.

This is just one of many realizations since forests are also suffering due to heavy forest fires. We have to focus on how to change this scenario. The years ahead will show how well we are doing that.