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Xinlitik t1_j93zmgh wrote

Honest question: is this actually a bad thing, aside from the implications (ie climate change)? More vegetation could be good, no?

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rocketsocks t1_j94oebl wrote

It's complicated. It could push some species to extinction, which would generally be considered bad.

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Roy111222 t1_j998ots wrote

Agreed - the impact of these changes is complicated and hard to predict with certainty.

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DeepSpaceNebulae t1_j95vfhy wrote

In short, it’s complicated

It could effect wildlife as a niche is being encroached. It could also effect growth as perhaps the lack of certain vegetation helps with nutrient rich runoff coming down the mountain.

As for the change in number of trees, I’m going to take a guess that it would be a drop in the bucket relative to the forest clearings we’ve been doing elsewhere

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stevepremo t1_j97qpnf wrote

Heck, here in California logging seems to be a drop in the bucket compared to disease and fire. Our forests are dying.

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o0_Shark_0o t1_j97spt6 wrote

Yes, there are many factors to consider and more research is needed to fully understand the impact of this phenomenon.

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re4ctor t1_j961t1z wrote

There are animals that live up mountain as a way to escape predators. Their refuge would be at risk. Similar to plant species that would not be able to compete. So it’s more about diversity of these unique ecologies.

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sonona70 t1_j98o351 wrote

More vegetation can be good, but it can also impact the ecosystem in complex ways, potentially leading to extinctions and other negative outcomes.

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Lord_Bob_ t1_j9ag8wh wrote

Did you see that plants are moving 4 times faster than anticipated and at the same time not fast enough to keep pace with the temperature change.

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