Pining for home?

Climate change will benefit Scots pines in the far north, new study suggests

It's lonely at the top... of the planet Given they’re named after a tiny part of a tiny island, Scots pines Pinus sylvestris enjoy a remarkably wide distribution: they’re the dominant Eurasian tree species. And that allowed University of Minnesota researcher Peter Reich and co-author Jacek Oleksyn to ask a difficult question – how will this widespread species handle climate change? – with a chance of finding an answer. Using long-term data collected from across Europe and North America, they discovered a distinct pattern. A rise in mean annual temperature of 1—4 degrees C enhances survival in northern Europe (at latitudes greater than 62 degrees north, where the mean annual temperature is a bracing two degrees or less). In the somewhat balmier south, the same effective rise will decrease survival. The interpretation on offer – published in Ecology Letters – is that warming reduces cold stress in the north but increases heat stress in the south. So perhaps it’s time to restore the Caledonian forest to its ancient glory. Source: Reich PB & Oleksyn J (2008) Climate warming will reduce growth and survival of Scots pine except in the far north. Ecology Letters DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2008.01172.x