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.

Sudden Oak Death in Oregon (IMAGE) — Aerial view of trees killed by sudden oak death 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

CANADA-FIRE-RECONSTRUCTION-EMERGENCY-FORESTS-OIL-EVACUATION — Dead trees are seen in this aerial view on April 17, 2017 near Fort McMurray, Canada, one year after the Fort McMurray fire. A few late-season snowflakes flutter over Fort McMurray, their whiteness contrasting against surrounding forests blackened one year ago by the most destructive wildfire in Canadian history. On May 1, 2016, a brushfire in the Canadian oil patch erupted into a huge blaze that over the following two months would engulf nearly 600,000 hectares of the boreal forest and force the evacuation of the entire city of 100,000 people. 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.