Drunken Forests – The Poetry of Science todayheadline

The ground wavers –
a shiver in its frost-hold,
where root-pillars slip
grasping for footholds
in the thawed earth’s churn.
Branches stretch uneven,
green shrouds
now heavy with silence –
through ice-skin’s breach,
the sunken heart stirs,
its iron-mirrors fractured
into shifting loam.
Tree-spines lean,
their sky-fingers clutching
at the sun’s bright seam –
a forest unravelled,
its soil-anchor lost
to the heat’s slow bite.
What remains:
a skeleton grove,
spines bent not by growth,
but from holding on.

This poem is inspired by recent research, which has shown climate warming destabilises boreal forests.

Boreal forests, found in the colder regions of the Northern Hemisphere, face natural challenges such as short growing seasons, low temperatures, and the presence of frozen ground known as permafrost. These factors limit how much trees can grow. With a warming climate, it might seem that rising air and soil temperatures would create better conditions for growth. However, warming also brings risks, particularly in areas with permafrost. The ground can become unstable as it thaws, creating what are often called ‘drunken forests’, where trees lean or fall due to the shifting ground.

Recent research highlights that while some regions of the boreal forest initially experienced increased growth due to warmer temperatures, this trend is not universal. Since the 1980s, trees in southern boreal regions have seen reduced growth, and in the highest latitudes, where permafrost is widespread, instability caused by permafrost thaw has become a major stressor. Trees in these areas are using more of their energy to remain upright rather than growing. This not only limits their size but also reduces their ability to store carbon, challenging the idea that boreal forests could help offset climate change. The study underscores how warming may have unintended and complex effects, with significant implications for forest health and carbon storage in the future.