Boreal Forests Shift Northward And Expand

A study led by Feng and colleagues, published in Biogeosciences in February 2026, used Landsat imagery and machine learning to generate 30 m annual tree-cover maps from 1984–2020. The analysis found boreal forests expanded by about 0.844 million km² (12%) and shifted north by ~0.29°, with young stands storing 1.1–5.9 Pg C and potential additional sequestration of 2.3–3.8 Pg if matured.