On May 28, 1892, John Muir organized the Sierra Club in San Francisco. Now, 125 years later we find eastern forests moving West & North. There are no reports of Treebeard, however, and their march is exceedingly slow.
From this article in the Christian Science Monitor: https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2017/0526/New-study-asks-why-some-American-forests-are-moving-West
"Different species are responding to climate change differently," Songlin Fei, one of the authors of the study, told The Atlantic. "Most of the broad-leaf species – deciduous trees – are following moisture moving westward. The evergreen trees – the needle species – are primarily moving northward."
There are exceptions, of course: The eastern pine has moved more than 80 miles west, while the eastern cottonwood has shifted 77 miles north, but the overall trends are clear.
"I think it's important not to lose track of the finding that hardly any shifts were reported to the south," says Lookingbill. "These are not random processes going willy-nilly in all directions."
Why? Are you ready?
Climate change is the suspected reason, specifically shifts in moisture patterns. Introduced pests may also play a role.
Where the trees go, others are sure to follow
Crossposted from caucus99percent.com