| There was now a complete ice-free corridor running from Alaska to the southern edge of the melting ice sheets. Shrubs began to grow on the Alaskan and northern Canadian tundra. At about this same time, deciduous forests began to increase in the Eastern U.S. |
| By now, the ice sheets were greatly reduced in size. Lakes were forming from meltwater, and open coniferous forests were developing around them. But forest couldn't move into new areas instantly, so there was always a margin of barren land around the edges of the ice sheets. A long lag time existed between the melting of ice on a certain site and the subsequent development of forests. |
temperate regions through time -- page 3 of 3
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