Changing temperature and precipitation regimes may shift suitable habitat for many tree species and ecosytems, and the effects of wildfires, pests, and diseases will be more harmful to some species than to others. Also, fundamental changes may make some areas less suitable for forests. For example, permafrost degradation is widespread in central Alaska, shifting ecosystems from birch forests to wetland types such as bogs and fens. If broad-scale water balances become increasingly negative, peatlands may begin to support upland forest species.
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