Fig. 9.6. Climate-induced ecological transitions will not occur everywhere at once, nor will they progress as a wave. Instead, they will exhibit a patchy distribution reflecting the occurrence of fire and other major disturbances, as illustrated by this map of fires in northern Alberta over the last 50 years. Moreover, ecological transitions will not occur until after the climate envelope has shifted significantly from its historical norm. Source: Alberta Wildfire Database (www.wildfire.alberta.ca).
