You may not be thinking about relocating yet,
but trees are already on the move.

Trees migrating

Thirteen million of us are predicted to move inland and to higher ground in the coming decades to avoid the inevitable financial costs of climate change. As global temperatures increase, sea levels rise, and the severity of storms intensify, it is no surprise that North America is already in the midst of another great migration – and people are not the ones on the move.

A US Forest Service study found that 70 percent of tree species are showing range migration towards cooler conditions. Before you start envisioning the quick mobility of the Ents from The Lord of the Rings, know that real-life tree migration takes far longer. Even so, entire species are on the move. In fact, it is projected that heat-sensitive species such as New England’s maple, beech, and birch trees may be gone from the Northeast by 2100!

Can your hometown shield you from climate-related changes and costs? If not, maybe you should make like a tree and leave (pun intended). Our Where-To-Live Indicators let you input any Zip Code throughout the country to see data on a town’s potential to protect residents from energy and food price raises, weather-related costs, drought, taxes, and other predicted challenges.