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Article: Ensuring survival: glaciers, humans, pests, and the occasional bear. Why it's tough to be a seedling in this Global ReLeaf Forest in West Virginia's Canaan Valley, and why it's so important.
- Article from:
- American Forests
- Article date:
- January 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 American Forests. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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When a tree falls in the forest, how long before a new one grows in its place? That's the crux of the problem facing The Nature Conservancy in Canaan Valley, West Virginia.
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To understand the challenges facing Canaan Valley you must understand its history--and consider its future. Ten or 20 centuries ago, as glaciers shifted southward at the end of the last ice age, northern species gradually died out. Though the glaciers never made it to the Canaan Valley area, the cold weather did, and plants and animals there adapted to a cold climate.
When the ice age ended and the climate warmed, many ...