A study reveals that trees unfamiliar with wet conditions adapt better to drought than those that have experienced plenty of rain.

The research took place over 20 years in the Rhône River Valley in the Swiss Alps. Scientists watered some Scots pines in a mature forest while others relied only on rain. The watered trees grew faster, which makes sense, right?
But here’s the twist: after 11 years, they stopped watering half of the trees. The ones that had been watered before really struggled with the drought. They were more stressed than the trees that had never been watered.
It turns out that trees that go through dry spells adapt in ways that help them survive future droughts. They develop smaller, tougher cells and grow deeper roots to find water. Their leaves even change to store water instead of just soaking up sunlight.
The previously watered trees seemed to freak out when the water supply dropped. They were less suited for drought compared to the trees that had never been irrigated. This suggests that trees with a history of wet conditions might not handle a warming climate very well.
But there’s a silver lining! The authors of the study mentioned that many young trees today have grown up during times of drought. These resilient young trees could be the forests of the future, better equipped to deal with the changing world we live in.