Climate Change and Scattered Woodlands in Wisconsin

Scattered Woodlands Complicate Forest's Response to Climate Change:

A warming climate may cause tree species to move north to find the right growing conditions, but it may not be a simple switch of tree species.

University of Wisconsin-Madison forest ecologists developed a model that predicts the rate of decline and replacement of trees in northern forests. Their findings show a decrease in forest biomass in the northern part of the state. The rate of climate change is faster than the rate at which the southern trees can migrate north, and there are also barriers along the way. Scattered woodlands in the central part of the state, due to agriculture and development also slows the progress.