How climate change could hinder reforestation efforts, according to experts:
One method some scientists are confident will help vegetation survive the inevitable heat of the future is assisted migration, which involves planting a species of tree that is native to the area but sourcing the seed from farther south, where the temperature is warmer. Theoretically, this would ensure that the forest will endure, because that variation has already adapted to warmer temperatures.
"These individuals that are adapted to warmer climatic conditions may get lost in the future climate change," Johannes Wessely, author of the study and a researcher in the University of Vienna's department of botany and biodiversity research, told ABC News.The Rusty-leaved Alpine Rose blooms on a mountain in the Hohe Tauern National Park, July 24, 2021, in Matrei, Austria.
More research needs to be done to determine whether warming temperatures will have the similar effect on other plant species, Wessely said. If so, it could alter how effective assisted migration will be in fortifying vegetation against climate change.