Fragile forests: Millions of California trees dying due to drought
In forests throughout the Golden State, trees are turning a dark shade of rust, succumbing to the impacts of the drought in a well-documented phenomenon known to forest scientists as tree mortality. The problem first peaked in 2016 when the U.S. Forest Service released images from a statewide aerial survey, estimating 62 million trees died that year. Heavy rain and snowfall in 2017 gave the forests a new lease on life. But the climate keeps changing the terms of that lease. According to the Forest Service, 9.5 million trees died last year in California, mostly fir and pine. And scientists are concerned one more year of drought could lead to another mass die-off.
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