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Succession on a land uplift coast

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Which plants do you see?

Do you know which hardiness zone you are in based on the plants you see?

New land is continually being exposed on land uplift coasts. This exposed land has been under the sea since the last glacial period!

When the land rises above sea level, plants start to grow on it. First the land is covered by coastal meadows. Shrubs start to grow when the land continues to rise as it moves further from the shoreline. The shrub phase is followed by broad-leaved trees and finally by conifers.

The ground in Kokkola is so flat that the different vegetation zones can be dozens of meters wide.