Philippe Morin
Northern News Services
Friday, April 30, 2007

TUKTOYAKTUK - If you live in Tuktoyaktuk, you might consider buying a hammock to enjoy global warming.

Scientist's claim the treeline might be creeping farther north.

Karen Harper, who is an adjunct professor at Dalhousie University, will be among 19 people studying the issue next summer as part of International Polar Year.

She said warmer temperatures might allow trees to move north over time.

"With global warming, you would have a shift in the vegetation, and we predict a migration of trees northwards," she said.

"There have been some studies done about this, and the treeline is already shifting north," she said.

Harper said the treeline migration might affect some animals.

For instance, she said more trees could inconvenience herds of Barren-Ground Caribou, which prefer open ground.

"All the species that use trees would be affected in some way," she said, adding bushes and shrubs and moss would also be affected.

"I guess it depends on who you are. If you're an animal that avoids forests, it would probably be detrimental, but all the species that use trees would benefit," she said.

On April 18, Harper said it was unknown if the treeline had already moved in the NWT.

She said her group would study tree rings, aerial photographs and interview people across the Arctic next summer, in an attempt to determine if trees are moving north.

The exact location of the study is still being planned, so it's unclear what communities they will visit.

When asked how she came to study the treeline, Harper said it was only natural.

"I've been working with forest edges for the past 10 years or so, looking at clear-cut forests and also lake shores," Harper said.

"With the International Polar Year, my thoughts went to the treeline, which is the biggest forest edge of all."

International Polar year has received $150 million in federal funding, and is being billed as a three-year exploration of all things polar.