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Massive die-off of Pacific Northwest trees linked to climate change
Christine Buhl, a forest health specialist for the Oregon Department of Forestry, uses an increment borer to core a dead western red cedar at Magness Memorial Tree Farm in Sherwood, Ore., Oct. 11, 2023. Iconic red cedars — known as the "Tree of Life' — and other tree species in the Pacific Northwest have been dying because of climate-induced drought, researchers say. Last year, Buhl and colleagues reported that red cedars were dying throughout the tree’s growing range not because of a fungus or insect attack, but due to the region’s “climate change-induced drought.”
Christine Buhl, a forest health specialist for the Oregon Department of Forestry, holds a tree core from a dead western red cedar, showing healthier rings toward the right of the sample and more drought-affected rings to the left, at Magness Memorial Tree Farm in Sherwood, Ore., Oct. 11, 2023. In recent years, at least 15 native Pacific Northwest tree species have experienced growth declines and die-offs, 10 of which have been linked to drought and warming temperatures, according to recent studies and reports.
Three dead western red cedars, center, at Magness Memorial Tree Farm in Sherwood, Ore., Oct. 11, 2023. Iconic red cedars — known as the "Tree of Life' — and other tree species in the Pacific Northwest have been dying because of climate-induced drought, researchers say. A term coined by researchers, “Firmageddon” refers to the more than 1,875 square-mile die-off of five fir species in Oregon, Washington and northern California.
Bark on a dead western red cedar at Magness Memorial Tree Farm in Sherwood, Ore., Oct. 11, 2023. Iconic red cedars — known as the "Tree of Life' — and other tree species in the Pacific Northwest have been dying because of climate-induced drought, researchers say. The die-off is likely to move uphill as temperatures warm in the coming decades, according to a study in the Journal of Forestry.
Christine Buhl, a forest health specialist for the Oregon Department of Forestry, uses an increment borer to core a western red cedar at Magness Memorial Tree Farm in Sherwood, Ore., Oct. 11, 2023.
Woodpecker nesting holes in a dead western red cedar tree at Magness Memorial Tree Farm in Sherwood, Ore., Oct. 11, 2023.
Property manager James Bailey looks at a dead Douglas fir among several dead western red cedars at Magness Memorial Tree Farm in Sherwood, Ore., Oct. 11, 2023. Firmageddon and Douglas fir die-offs have been linked to a combination of drought weakening trees and insect pests moving in for the kill.
Moss grows on the branches of a dead western red cedar at Magness Memorial Tree Farm in Sherwood, Ore., Oct. 11, 2023. Iconic red cedars — known as the "Tree of Life' — and other tree species in the Pacific Northwest have been dying because of climate-induced drought, researchers say.
An increment borer attaches to a vest worn by Christine Buhl, a forest health specialist for the Oregon Department of Forestry, after taking tree core samples at Magness Memorial Tree Farm in Sherwood, Ore., Oct. 11, 2023.
A section of a Douglas fir tree with the bark removed by scientists to examine insect damage that led to the tree's death following heat stress in the Willamette National Forest, Ore., Oct. 27, 2023. Firmageddon and Douglas fir die-offs have been linked to a combination of drought weakening trees and insect pests moving in for the kill.
Douglas fir trees that died as a result of insect damage following heat stress are visible in the Willamette National Forest, Ore., Oct. 27, 2023.
Sun shines on leaves on a big leaf maple tree in the Willamette National Forest, Ore., Oct. 27, 2023. In recent years, at least 15 native tree species in the region have experienced growth declines and die-offs, with 10 linked to drought and warming temperatures, according to recent studies and reports.
Dead needles hang on a western red cedar tree in the Willamette National Forest, Ore., Oct. 27, 2023. Iconic red cedars — known as the "Tree of Life' — and other tree species in the Pacific Northwest have been dying because of climate-induced drought, researchers say.
James Bailey, property manager, right, and Christine Buhl, a forest health specialist for the Oregon Department of Forestry, walk along a trail in the forest at Magness Memorial Tree Farm in Sherwood, Ore., Oct. 11, 2023. In recent years, at least 15 native tree species in the region have experienced growth declines and die-offs, with 10 linked to drought and warming temperatures, according to recent studies and reports. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)
