'Dead tree after dead tree.' The case of Washington's dying foliage

Gwad

https://www.kuow.org/stories/dead-tree-after-dead-tree-the-case-of-the-dying-hemlocks-and-cedars-and-maples

Glenn Kohler, a forest entomologist for Washington’s Department of Natural Resources, and his colleagues fly over every forested acre of the state every year and measure how many trees have died.

“So the individual trees or a patch of dead trees are going to have the same kind of red color that's easy to see from an airplane,” Kohler said. “That's what we're mapping.”

“The amount of that is increasing right now,” he said.

In 2018, Kohler and his colleagues found that nearly 500,000 acres of Washington’s forests had some level of damage. That’s an area bigger than all of Kitsap County.

Sledog

Gwad said:

https://www.kuow.org/stories/dead-tree-after-dead-tree-the-case-of-the-dying-hemlocks-and-cedars-and-maples

Glenn Kohler, a forest entomologist for Washington’s Department of Natural Resources, and his colleagues fly over every forested acre of the state every year and measure how many trees have died.

“So the individual trees or a patch of dead trees are going to have the same kind of red color that's easy to see from an airplane,” Kohler said. “That's what we're mapping.”

“The amount of that is increasing right now,” he said.

In 2018, Kohler and his colleagues found that nearly 500,000 acres of Washington’s forests had some level of damage. That’s an area bigger than all of Kitsap County.

Must be soy breath emissions from Seattle causing all that damage. So stop breathing your killing the forest!

MikeDamone

And? Why didn’t Obama DO SOMETHING?

WestlinnDuck

Might be some imported chicom moth? What is the hypothesis of the supposed die off? Douglas fir is usually the predominant survivor species on the west side and pine on the east side. Actually curious if true.

creepycoug

Pine beetle. It's not an issue with managed forests. It is with unmanaged forests. Like all infestations, it occurs periodically throughout tim.

You're welcome.

Kaepsknee

creepycoug said:

Pine beetle. It's not an issue with managed forests. It is with unmanaged forests. Like all infestations, it occurs periodically throughout tim.

You're welcome.

This has been an issue in Oregon since the 90s. Not surprising that Washington is just now figuring this out.