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New finding: Lack of humidity, not rainfall, is bigger problem for trees
From “Firmageddon” to Western red cedars, drought has been implicated in the death of multiple tree species across the Northwest. Yet, how exactly drought is stressing and killing the region’s trees has remained something of a scientific mystery. But that is changing. A recent study out of Oregon State University provides new light on drought’s ability […]
New study sounds alarm, provides hope for Western red cedars
Though no one realized it at the time, the beginning of the end for many Northwest Western red cedar trees began about a decade ago. Drought had come. Early on, the cedars did what trees do: they adapted to the dry conditions. They conserved water and grew less. This strategy had worked during past droughts. […]
Massive die-off hits fir trees across the Northwest
This story was originally published by Columbia Insight. Fir trees in Oregon and Washington died in record-breaking numbers in 2022, according to as-yet unpublished research conducted by the U.S. Forest Service. Called “Firmageddon” by researchers, the “significant and disturbing” mortality event is the largest die-off ever recorded for fir trees in the two states. In […]