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Friday, January 23rd, 2015

Things Are Not Looking Good For California’s Big Trees

Author:     Ari Phillips
Source:     Think Progress
Publication Date:     January 22, 2015 at 8:54 am
 Link: Things Are Not Looking Good For California’s Big Trees
Stephan:   For almost 30 years one of the best things I experienced when I lived in California was the time spent backpacking and hiking in the Big Trees areas. They are so magnificent and, when you realize that some of these trees are over a 1,000 years old, it is quite humbling. It is a magical experience to spend time there. Beginning in the late 80s we began to notice that in some areas the trees seemed to be under stress and, by the mid 90s it was clear many were dying. Now for the first time we have real data. It makes me very sad.
California big trees. Credit: Shutterstock

California big trees.
Credit: Shutterstock

A group of California scientists published a study this week comparing forest surveys from the 1920s and ’30s to recent U.S. Forest Service data. What they found was not encouraging for the future of the state’s renowned large trees. Published on Tuesday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study found that drought, changes in land use, and fire suppression efforts have caused the number of trees larger than two feet in diameter to decline by 50 percent in a 46,000 square mile area of the state’s forest they surveyed.

“Older, larger trees are declining because of disease, drought, logging and other factors, but what stands out is that this decline is statewide,” said study leader Patrick McIntyre, who manages biodiversity data for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. “Forests are becoming dominated by smaller, more densely packed trees, and oaks are becoming more dominant as pines decline.”

With California currently locked in a serious drought, the role of water stress in […]

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