How many dead trees there are in California might surprise you
If long droughts and massive wildfires weren’t enough harm to California’s trees, there is massive damage being done by pests and fungi. This could contribute to more acres of record-setting wildfires. Remember the song “It’s not easy being green?” Well, it isn’t for forests up and down California. Many trees are turning brown and dying losing the fight at fending off harmful beetles, borers, moths, weevils and fungi. The California Forest Pest Council released a report earlier this year that shows elevated levels of tree mortality were recorded on more than 2.6 million acres, totaling an estimated 36.3 million dead trees. The majority of trees killed were fir, followed by ponderosa pine and Douglas fir. Mortality was particularly severe and widespread in the central Sierra Nevada range.
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