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
Purdue University’s College of Agriculture is thrilled to welcome Ozan Ciftci, a renowned...
Ryan Folk, an emerging leader in the world of plant evolutionary biology, has joined...
For the first time since June 2025, respondents in the August Purdue University/CME Group Ag...
Most parents want to encourage their child’s hobbies, signing them up for chess club,...
The Indiana Corn Marketing Council (ICMC) has named Dan Quinn, assistant professor of agronomy in...
For Krishna Nemali and Stephen Meyers, both associate professors in the Department of...