Drought Causing Record Forest Destruction in U.S. Southwest

[Judi Lynn]

Drought Causing Record Forest Destruction in U.S. Southwest

Hope Hamashige
for National Geographic News

December 5, 2005
Soil-scorching droughts are nothing new to the U.S. Southwest. But the one that hit the region in 1999—and still persists—has been different from past droughts: It has been hotter.

It has also caused what is arguably the most extensive die-off of trees ever documented by modern science.


Upward of 45 million piñon pine trees have died in New Mexico in the last three years, according to the U.S. Forest Service. New Mexico, which claims the short, nut-bearing piñon as its state tree, has been hardest hit by the drought.

New research suggests that it was higher-than-normal temperatures and not just the lack of water that produced the large-scale die-off.

David Breshears, a natural resources professor at the University of Arizona, said the piñon mortality in the Southwest should be a warning to the rest of the world: What is happening here can happen anywhere global warming is making itself felt.
(snip/...)

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/12/1205_051205_drought_forest.html



In the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, Arizona,
a years-long drought has left acres of piñon pine
trees dead, evidenced by the large brown patches
shown above.

The green areas consist mainly of juniper trees,
which so far have proved more resistant to the
effects of the drought.

Photograph © Paul Heinrich

[PDJane]

1. Texas

apparently has wildfires too. This isn't good! It's been a severe drought year for most of Texas.

[freethought]

2. I was in New Mexico not long ago

And those that I talked to tell me that the pinon pine die-off was due to an Asian Bark Beetle and not because of drought. As I was told once the beetle arrived, it swept thorugh huge swaths of pinon pine like a plague. As you travelled northward to Colorado you did see more pinon pines that were not touched most of them in the mountain areas.

Well, whatever killed the pines had left New Mexico with one really bad fire hazard. Acre upon acre of dead, dry pinon pine just sitting there in drought conditions waiting to light up. Not a good situation.

[Boomer]

3. Drought was the underlying cause

From what I've read (on this forum), the drought weakened trees and left them vulnerable to the beetles. So the two go hand in hand.

[blindpig]

4. Same in the Southeast.

Pines on my property are dying in droves. An ice storm in 2002 knocked down a bunch but we've got more falling over all of the time. Just as well, Virginia Pines planted for pulp are not natural to this area. Maybe in 30 years it wil look like a Piedmont forest again. Anything I plant from now on is going to be xeric adapted.