Tree Deaths Double in the Western U.S.

January 26th, 2009

Another effect of warming? That’s the suspicion, but the other problem is that you tree huggers aren’t keeping up with the tree deaths . Apparently sales jobs aren’t where you all work then? Just messing around. Good job planting that tree…lol

A new study led by the U.S. Geological Survey and involving the University of Colorado at Boulder and Oregon State University as well as other research institutes indicates tree deaths in the West’s old-growth forests have more than doubled in recent decades, likely from regional warming and related drought conditions.

The study that was published in the Jan. 23 issue of Science magazine, documented tree deaths in all tree sizes in the West located at varying elevations, including tree types such as pine, fir and hemlock. The death totals were also documented in the interior West including Colorado and Arizona as well as Northwest regions like northern California, Oregon, Washington and southern British Columbia.

The researchers speculated higher tree deaths could lead to substantial ecological changes in the West, including cascading effects affecting wildlife populations. The tree deaths also could lead to possible increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels contributing to warming, which could stem from lower CO2 uptake and storage by smaller trees and increased CO2 emissions from more dead trees on the forest floors.

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