From a media release written by David Stauth of Oregon State University:
Regional warming and drought stress are the “dominant contributors” to a rapid increase of tree mortality in old growth forests across the West during the past 50 years, a new report concludes, with the Pacific Northwest the hardest hit of all areas studied.
The findings, published on 23 January 2009 in the journal Science suggest that a persistent increase in the mortality rate would ultimately cause a 50 percent reduction in the average tree age in forests, a potential reduction in average tree size and make many forests vulnerable to abrupt dieback.
A doubling of tree mortality has been occurring as fast as every 17 years in the Pacific Northwest in recent decades, and at slower rates in California and Rocky Mountain states.
In one of the first studies of this type ever done in temperate zones, this disturbing phenomenon was found to be occurring at every elevation, in trees of different sizes and various species.
Read the entire report for yourself:
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