Scientists have estimated that the treeline could move 500 kilometers north by 2100 from now, according to Aevar Petersen, chair of the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna (CAFF) which was based on their projections.
If that happened, as much as half the Arctic tundra from Siberia to Canada could vanish. In some places, southerly evergreen shrubs were taking over from grasses, mosses and lichens typical tundra.
Other experts say timber firms may not benefit from climate change. Better growth conditions may also bring more pests and and forest fires.
Warming in the Arctic is happening about twice as fast as in the rest of the world. As reflective snow and ice recede, they expose soil or water which are darker color and so soak up more of the sun’s heat.
A quickening melt of snow, ice and permafrost will enable more southerly species such as pine trees or animals such as foxes to move north.
Polar bears are among those under threat from an accelerating melt of sea ice. Trees in the Arctic region may grow 500 kilometers further north by 2100 as climate change greens the barren tundra and causes sweeping change to wildlife, a leading expert said.
The Conservation of Arctic flora and Fauna is back by the Arctic Council, comprising the United States, Russia, Canada and the five Nordic Nations. 