99Climate Change and Its Effect on Ecosystems
be migrating northward in search of cooler climates. The species that will
invade the present boreal forests will be today’s temperate forest species
and grasslands. According to the IPCC, as the boreal forest vegetation is
forced out, it will migrate poleward 300–500 kilometers during the next
century. Proof of this can already be seen in western Canada; their plant
zones have already begun shifting poleward (IPCC, 2007a). Migrating veg-
etation will encounter severe challenges, however. For example, the soils in
the tundra region are not fertile or conducive to high-density vegetation or
tree growth. According to the IPCC, they lack the biota necessary for colo-
nization. Specic seed ...