In the mountains, people notice it first in the details. The familiar trees start struggling on the warmer lower slopes, while seedlings app...

In the mountains, people notice it first in the details. The familiar trees start struggling on the warmer lower slopes, while seedlings appear higher up where summers used to be too cold. Further north, some species begin showing up beyond their old limits, but not fast enough to match the pace of warming. Forests respond to temperature, rainfall, drought, and extremes, and when those patterns change, habitat suitability changes too. The result can look like a slow relocation, but it is uneven and often disrupted by fires, pests, and heat stress.

[I] A warmer climate shifts the conditions that trees are adapted to, while extreme events raise the odds of mortality and damage. [II] The FAO notes that climate change affects forest productivity and health and increases risks such as fires and pests, especially in certain regions. [III] The IPCC also highlights that forestry is exposed to multiple climate impact drivers, so planning is no longer about stability but about managing volatility over decades. [IV]

What makes this forest shift difficult is speed. Trees are long lived, seeds disperse slowly, and landscapes are fragmented by farms, roads, and cities. Even if a species could survive better further poleward or upslope, it may not be able to get there in time without help. As conditions move, local forests can become mismatched with the climate around them, producing stressed stands that are more vulnerable to drought and disturbances. This is why scientists debate strategies that range from protecting migration corridors to carefully testing assisted movement of seed sources, knowing that both action and inaction carry risk.

For students reading the signs, the key idea is that forests are not fixed backdrops. They are living systems tracking a moving target. Adaptation therefore becomes practical rather than symbolic: diversify species where suitable, reduce other pressures, monitor change, and treat restoration as a long project with feedback, not a one time planting campaign. If the climate keeps shifting, the question is not whether forests will change, but whether people will notice early enough to manage the transition with less loss and more resilience.

[Adapted from https://www.fao.org/]

Question 31: Where in the passage does the following sentence best fit?

The mechanism is not mysterious, even if the outcomes are.

A. [I]         B. [II]         C. [III]         D. [IV]

Question 32: Which of the following best paraphrases the sentence in paragraph 1?

A. Although forests seem to be moving gradually, their progression is inconsistent and frequently hampered by external threats.

B. Forest migration is a steady and predictable process despite the occasional presence of fires and various biological pests.

C. The geographical shift of forests appears gradual, yet it lacks uniformity and is regularly hindered by environmental hazards.

D. While the relocation of trees is slow, it remains a continuous movement that is largely unaffected by heat and disease.

Question 33: The word "it" in paragraph 3 refers to __________.

A. seed source        B. a species        C. a landscape        D. poleward

Question 34: Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a factor that can disrupt forest relocation?

A. fires        B. pests        C. heat stress        D. soil erosion

Question 35: Which of the following best summarizes the main content of the first paragraph?

A. The relocation of forests is a smooth process driven by consistent rainfall and mild temperature shifts.

B. High-altitude regions are becoming the only viable habitats for seedlings due to the disappearance of pests.

C. Forest ecosystems are undergoing an uneven geographical shift as they struggle to adapt to changing climates.

D. The North is witnessing a rapid expansion of diverse tree species that perfectly matches the speed of warming.

Question 36: The word "stands" in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to __________.

A. positions        B. attitudes        C. areas        D. symbols

Question 37: According to the third paragraph, what is a primary consequence when forests cannot keep up with shifting climatic conditions?

A. Scientists will immediately implement migration corridors to facilitate the movement of all native tree species.

B. Existing tree groups become increasingly susceptible to environmental pressures due to their unsuitable locations.

C. Human intervention through seed movement is proven to be the only risk-free method to preserve forest health.

D. The fragmented landscapes will eventually merge as forests move toward the poles to find more stable weather.

Question 38: The phrase “tracking a moving target” in paragraph 4 is OPPOSITE in meaning to __________.

A. adapting to gradual shifts        B. responding to new pressures

C. following changing conditions        D. maintaining a fixed baseline

Question 39: Which of the following can most likely be inferred from the passage?

A. The FAO and IPCC suggest that historical forestry models based on environmental stability are still highly effective.

B. Human assistance in tree migration is a controversial necessity because natural processes are currently too sluggish.

C. Future forest restoration efforts will fail unless they are treated as one-time campaigns focusing on single species.

D. Mountains are the only environments where the effects of climate change on vegetation are visible to the naked eye.

Question 40: Which of the following best summarizes the passage?

A. Modern forestry focuses on maintaining the fixed nature of landscapes by preventing the movement of species across regions.

B. Climate change is primarily causing the total extinction of mountain trees, requiring urgent symbolic action from global students.

C. Forests are dynamic systems responding to climate shifts, requiring proactive and flexible management to ensure future resilience.

D. The slow pace of seed dispersal is the only reason why forests are currently struggling to survive in the warmer northern areas.