Some insect species might be able to climb to higher elevations and birth more generations each year. During such disturbances the normal, slow pace of forest change drastically accelerates. Forests that otherwise might remain the same for centuries undergo dramatic shifts. Whole, new species communities can take root. A number of key scientists believe large areas of conifer forest on the east slopes of the Cascades could burn and be replaced by sagebrush steppe and grassland.
Humans are no more exempt than other species from global warming impacts.
For urban areas, hotter temperatures mean more ground-level ozone. Drier summers could elevate pollen counts. An increase in summer heat waves poses dangers to vulnerable populations. Warmer temperatures also encourage growth of disease-carrying insect populations. Olympia, Raymond and South Bend in Washington and Tillamook, Cannon Beach and Coos Bay in Oregon, as well as coast-hugging highways, are particularly vulnerable.