Skip to Main Content

Tree migration study one of Discover’s top stories of the year

Discover magazine named a Purdue University study analyzing the movement of tree species in response to climate change as one of its top 100 scientific stories of the year.

Songlin Fei, an associate professor in the Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, led the study that shows trees are shifting northward as temperatures warm, but also to the west in response to increased precipitation. (Read about the study here.)

“Precipitation has a stronger near-term impact on species shift than temperature,” Fei said of his research, published in the journal Science Advances and covered by more than 50 news outlets around the world.

Using data collected by the U.S. Forest Service from 1980 to 2015, Fei found that tree migration is species-specific, with deciduous trees such as oak and maple moving west, while evergreens are trending north. Long-term changes in precipitation patterns are affecting the composition of forests and altering entire ecosystems.

Fei and colleagues are continuing research examining the role of moisture and climate change on U.S. forests.

“We are moving forward to study changes in both above- and below-ground forest communities, and hoping to better understand the impacts of drought on forest ecosystems and their management implications,” Fei said.

Featured Stories

A resilient agricultural systems infographic depicting limited disturbance of soils, inclusion of cover crops and preservation of biodiversity.
Purdue University to host inaugural Resilient Agriculture Summit

Whether it’s called sustainable, regenerative or resilient agriculture, farmers across...

Read More
Woman shopping at grocery store
Consumer stress over grocery prices stands at midpoint

Stress levels due to grocery prices are mixed, and most consumers are at least somewhat familiar...

Read More
Purdue Digital Forestry Students
Purdue digital forestry students win first prize in 2024 Annual GeoChallenge

A team of digital forestry graduate students from Purdue University won first prize in the...

Read More
Vidya Nagaraju and Kingsly Ambrose measure the size and shape distribution of particles
Particle science innovations focus on improving grain facility safety

Frequent explosions plagued the U.S. grain industry until the Occupational Safety and Health...

Read More
Memorial Mall
U.S. farmers retain optimistic outlook for 2025 despite ag trade uncertainty

U.S. farmers began 2025 with an optimistic outlook, as the January Purdue University/CME Group Ag...

Read More
Purdue University’s Uris Baldos, research associate professor of agricultural economics, leads a new study assessing the impacts of agricultural research investments on biodiversity and land use. (Purdue Agricultural Communications photo/Joshua Clark)
New study assesses impact of agricultural research investments on biodiversity, land use

New groundbreaking research shows how, at a local scale, agricultural research and development...

Read More
To Top