Global warming is changing Canada’s boreal forest and tundra

As the climate warms, tree will expand, grow and reproduce into tundra regions, likely moving treeline can rapidly northward.

Global warming is affecting the boreal forest — what happens will depend on the climate, vegetation and the frequency and intensity of wildfires. Changes in the north include increases or decreases in leaf growth, called Arctic greening and browning, more extensive growth of shrubs and treeline movement. It is the interaction of fire, climate and time that determines the nature of the forest-tundra today and how it changes in response to climate variability.