MAINE SUNDAY TELEGRAM • October 15, 2023
Through natural seed dispersal, forests can travel about a tenth of a mile every year. But the wind, water and animals that help them on their way cannot carry the seeds far enough to keep up with today’s rapidly warming climate, which is shifting 4 to 6 miles north each year. That gap has severe implications for Maine, the most heavily forested state in the nation, conservation biologist Aleta McKeage said. Our forests are not only essential to wildlife and water quality, they absorb 60% of our carbon emissions and support an industry. “We need to start planting these [heat-tolerant] trees now, or we’re going to have a barren landscape within decades.”