Premium

Forests Under Climate Stress

Interactive passage with audio narration, comprehension questions, and printable PDF.

No ratings yet

Just this resource

$1.50

One-time purchase

Best value

Unlock everything

$49.99$29.99/yr

40% off until Aug 1 — 6,000+ resources

Unlock above to use these actions

Format: Interactive (Online), Printable (PDF)
Grades: 5678
Subjects: sciencereadingela
Standards: MS-LS2-4MS-ESS3-5
Languages: English, Spanish

Send Feedback / Report an Issue

What's included

Reading passage

Reading comprehension

Audio narration

With word word highlighting

Comprehension quiz

Auto-graded

Writing activity

Open-ended response

Glossary & flashcards

Vocabulary practice

Differentiated version

Adapted for varied levels

Spanish translation

Bilingual support

About this reader

This 400-500 word audio-integrated reading passage explores how climate change creates mounting stress on forest ecosystems worldwide. Students in grades 6-8 learn how rising temperatures and prolonged droughts weaken trees, making them vulnerable to insect pests like bark beetles that once were controlled by cold winters. The passage explains how longer, hotter fire seasons burn more woodland and how stressed forests can shift from carbon sinks to carbon sources. Real-world examples include the Amazon rainforest's potential tipping point toward grassland. Aligned to NGSS standards MS-LS2-4 (ecosystem dynamics) and MS-ESS3-5 (human impacts on Earth systems), this passage connects forest stress to broader climate feedback loops and biodiversity loss. Audio integration supports diverse learners, including English Language Learners and struggling readers.

Written by Workybooks TeamPublished by Workybooks

Sample passage and quiz content

CONTENT PREVIEW

"A stark contrast of withered trees and green foliage in a Chilean forest landscape." by Marina Zvada / Pexels.

Forests around the world face mounting pressure from climate change. Rising temperatures and changing rainfall patterns create conditions that weaken trees and alter entire forest ecosystems. This stress comes not from direct human cutting but from the warming climate itself. Evidence shows that heat and drought make trees vulnerable to threats they once could resist.

When temperatures rise and rainfall decreases, trees experience drought stress. Water moves through trees from roots to leaves, carrying nutrients and keeping cells healthy. During drought, trees cannot get enough water to maintain these processes. Scientists observe that drought-weakened trees produce less sap to defend against attacks. This makes them easy targets for insect pests like bark beetles. These small insects bore into tree bark and lay eggs. Cold winters once killed most bark beetles each year, keeping their populations low. However, warmer winters now allow more beetles to survive and multiply. Beetle outbreaks can kill vast stretches of forest in just a few years.

Climate change also brings longer, hotter fire seasons. Dry conditions turn forests into fuel for wildfires. Heat waves dry out dead wood and living plants, making them burn more easily. Fires that once occurred every few decades may now happen every few years. These changes matter because forests provide critical ecosystem services. They store huge amounts of carbon in their wood and soil. When trees die from beetles or burn in fires, they release this stored carbon back into the atmosphere. A stressed forest can shift from a carbon sink to a carbon source, making climate change worse.

The Amazon rainforest shows how serious this problem can become. Scientists worry this massive forest could reach a tipping point. If enough trees die from heat, drought, and fire, the rainforest might transform into grassland. Such a change would release enormous amounts of carbon and destroy habitat for countless species. The Amazon stores about 150 billion tons of carbon. Losing this forest would affect Earth's entire climate system and eliminate homes for millions of plant and animal species.

Interesting Fact: A single bark beetle outbreak in western North America killed trees across an area larger than the state of Washington, releasing carbon equal to five years of vehicle emissions from the entire region.

What is the main source of stress on forests discussed in this passage?

Direct human cutting and loggingRising temperatures and changing climateLack of sunlight in dense forestsCompetition between different tree species

How do warmer winters affect bark beetle populations?

They cause beetles to migrate to other regionsThey make beetles grow larger in sizeThey allow more beetles to survive and multiplyThey prevent beetles from laying eggs

What does the term 'drought stress' mean in the context of trees?

Trees growing too quickly during rainy seasonsTrees cannot get enough water to maintain healthy functionsTrees producing too much sap for defenseTrees experiencing damage from strong winds

According to the passage, what happens when drought-weakened trees produce less sap?

They become more resistant to fireThey grow faster than healthy treesThey become easy targets for insect attacksThey store more carbon in their roots

Why does a stressed forest releasing carbon make climate change worse?

It removes oxygen from the atmosphereIt adds more carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, increasing warmingIt causes more rainfall in the regionIt prevents new trees from growing

What could happen to the Amazon rainforest if it reaches a tipping point?

It could become a desert with no vegetationIt could transform into grasslandIt could expand into neighboring countriesIt could freeze during winter months

How do longer, hotter fire seasons affect forests?

They help forests grow stronger and healthierThey have no effect on forest ecosystemsThey dry out plants and make fires more frequent and intenseThey increase rainfall in forest regions

Approximately how much carbon does the Amazon rainforest store?

15 billion tons50 billion tons150 billion tons500 billion tons

Cold winters once helped control bark beetle populations by killing most beetles each year.

TrueFalse

A forest can only be a carbon sink and can never become a carbon source.

TrueFalse