Extreme Drought Causes Record Number of Dead Trees in Oregon

As Oregon deals with an unprecedented drought, many dead trees have been discovered.

Tree health expert Danny DePinte was astounded to witness a stretch of dead fir that appeared to go on forever while flying above Oregon's forests.

(Photo : CREDIT Danny Norlander, Oregon Department of Forestry)

"It simply kept flying as we continued to soar. It continued for countless kilometers, "DePinte, a researcher with the U.S. Forest Service in the Pacific Northwest, said to NPR.

Annual Aerial Surveys

The U.S. has been performing yearly aerial surveys around the nation to check on the health of trees since 1947.

According to DePinte, observers scan the landscape from up to 2,000 feet in the air in a grid-like layout, assessing around 30 acres every second.

They can identify diseased trees using a tablet, a pen, and a trained eye based on their color, stance, and fullness.

Considering Oregon's previous droughts, tree health experts anticipated some death this year, but many were nonetheless surprised by the sheer quantity of sick trees.

Also Read: Devastating Kansas Drought Affects Millions of Migratory Birds  

Trees Dying

(Photo : Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images)

According to preliminary data, 1.1 million acres of fir trees show some indications of dying, almost twice as much as the previous state record set when the survey started 75 years ago.

Because of this, some academics have dubbed the period of historically significant die-offs "firmageddon."

Although tree death is not intrinsically alarming, some forest landowners see the exceptional concentration of dead trees in southwest Oregon as a warning sign.

According to Mike Barsotti, the communications chair of the Oregon Tree Farms System, "it is a signal that we need to pay attention and do all we can to manage our forests to stay healthy."

Over the last ten years, tree fatalities in Oregon have been a problem and have become worse recently.

Dead trees were present on 470,000 acres in 2019, according to DePinte.

According to DePinte, fir tree fatalities were found on at least 147,000 acres in Oregon last year; however, the assessment was incomplete due to the July wildfires.

However, the 2021 aerial survey report said that Oregon's woods, which make up roughly half of the state, had been "pushed to the brink due to climate change."

Global Problem

DePinte said it is evident that Oregon's extreme drought has been a major stressor on the state's trees, making them more susceptible to pests and diseases.

While there is still much to learn about all the factors that contribute to high levels of tree mortality, DePinte said it is clear that these factors are to blame.

It's not just Oregon, though.

In part due to greenhouse gas emissions warming the planet, the Western United States has been suffering a "megadrought," a multidecade dry stretch unlike any previous time in more than a millennium, according to research published in the journal Nature Climate Change earlier this year.

Affecting the Environment

Those dry conditions have not only endangered trees but have also harmed agriculture and animals.

According to DePinte, there is still much to learn about the widespread loss.

It's not end-of-the-world, he said. But it's noticeable when woods undergo a significant transformation.

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