Yes, I think it's possible, and a lot of forest scientists are very concerned that the mountain pine beetle, for example, which is the existing insect problem we have in B.C., because it feeds on lodgepole pine, there's a significant possibility that this species could learn to adapt because there are such high population numbers. There's so much genetic change and generational change in that insect, it could end up moving into the jackpine forests and then move across to boreal forests in very closely related tree species. That's just one insect pest. There are many, many other insects, many other fungi, bacteria, that could change the relationship with changing weather conditions, changing water regimes, changing temperatures.
Environment Canada and many university scientists have done a lot of looking at how the temperature regime, as it shifts, will change the ability of particular tree species to grow in different areas. I'm sure some of you have seen that scenario, whereby suddenly you can grow black cherry very effectively in the James Bay lowlands by 2100. Black cherry is not going to get there, it has no way of getting there, but there's going to be a very different growing regime for the trees that would normally grow there, if it's suddenly that much warmer.
The interaction of all these factors is not terribly well known. I don't know a single research scientist who looks at this stuff who would say in this particular area--like north of Thunder Bay or north of North Bay--in this particular plot, this is what you can expect to happen. No one knows. It's change, and that's the only constant people look forward to.