The Joy Of the Earth’s Trees
Wildlife and animal species aren’t the only thing being effected within the forest because of climate change; the forest itself is being changed slowly but significantly as well. Forests fold moisture, help regulate the rainfall and also filter our drinking water supplies as well as help to keep our air clean. Trees are also beneficial in regulating the climate as well. They trap carbon and store CO2 through photosynthesis and then releasing oxygen through respiration. With climate change these could be trouble with the forests in North America alone. With large-scale changes that are happening gradually, forest are at greater risk now than they ever have been before with fires and even die-offs. Here is the latest on many tree species that could be gone if changes are made now.
1. Disappearing western evergreens: Higher temperatures open the door to parasites like the mountain pine beetle.
2. More devastating wildfires: Earlier spring snowmelt will lead to fires that burn hotter to where there will be nothing left and the fire won’t be controlled in time to same some forest and forest life.
3. Less diverse plant and animal populations: Adaptations will not keep pace with speedy temperature rises at all.
4. Drier canyon country: The Colorado River Basin will see annual precipitation drops by 55 percent if not more by the end of the century.
5. Less of a color pattern in the Northeast: Milder winters cause the maples to migrate out of the Unites States in order to survive.
6. Less trout in rivers and streams: As streams warm, habitat will decline by 50 percent.
7. Evaporating wetlands: Decreasing soil moisture will likely reduce waterfowl populations across the Upper Midwest.
8. Bigger spreads of poison ivy: Woody vines will thrive in a CO2 rich environment and spread out of control.
*Natural and Sustainable Living Tip: Enjoy the trees while you can, they may be gone in the near future. Here are ways to encourage your family to enjoy and embrace the trees.
1. Bring along a coloring pad and markers or pencils and encourage your children to draw the trees they see and even the surroundings around the tree.
2. If you visit older trees, talk to your kids and tell them how the tree got started from the seedling and what the world was like when the tree was growing and young. Try to encourage your children to talk about what was then and what is now, such as computers and electronics and even cars, maybe.
3. Compare your child’s height to the height of the tree. Take along a ribbon that is the height of your child and then compare when you reach your tree destination. Kids love seeing how they are growing compared to their surroundings.
4. Finally, take a photo of the tree and add it to a tree scrapbook. If you don’t have a tree scrapbook, start one today. Possibly every year you can go back to the same tree and visit it and compare the changes it goes through each year with your child.
To learn more about trees visit American Forests.
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