Tree Mortality: Seeing is Believing
By CSAC President Richard Forster
Seeing is believing as the old saying goes. Maybe that’s why tree mortality isn’t a bigger issue for more people. If you haven’t seen it for yourself, it’s hard to believe that 29 million trees have already died in our foothill and mountain counties, and many more will probably die. So, I urge you to watch the video that’s linked to this blog posting. In stark footage, it shows how drought and bark beetles are having a disastrous impact on our forests—especially Ponderosa Pines.
Warm dry conditions over the last several years have allowed the bark beetle population to explode. Stressed from drought, the trees can’t defend themselves from the onslaught of beetles. The loss of 29 million trees is devastating for the forest ecosystem and for the environment statewide. Fresno and Madera Counties are especially hard hit, but virtually every county in the Sierra has some tree loss and the beetles are continuing to spread. Some estimates say the death toll could easily double.