'Firmageddon': Researchers find 1.1 million acres of dead trees in Oregon

[The Heretic]

'Firmageddon': Researchers find 1.1 million acres of dead trees in Oregon

Oregon’s dead firs are a visceral example of how drought is reshaping landscapes in Western states that have been experiencing extreme heat conditions.

www.nbcnews.com

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[Flopsweat]

"Extreme heat"? That seems a bit of an exaggeration.

 

[Member 5605]

6,000-year climate record suggests longer droughts, drier climate for Pacific Northwest

University of Pittsburgh-led researchers extracted a 6,000-year climate record from a Washington lake that shows that the famously rain-soaked American Pacific Northwest could not only be in for longer dry seasons, but also is unlikely to see a period as wet as the 20th century any time soon. In...

phys.org

Pretty good reading too

 

[Alexx1401]

I love it when these stories come out as its been raining for days on end. Also love how they can't predict the weather in days but can tell me what will happen next year. Best part is every time they are wildly wrong with these they just move the dates forward again and keep up the lie. I remember in the 60's when they were telling us by now we would be in another ice age by 2000. How many times has one of these kooks said we have 10-15 years left? Then in 10 years they keep moving it forward like they never said what they said? I guess you have to give them credit, enough fools fall for it so it works.

 

[Hooyah DeepSea]

AND, then they get that little Greta Thunberg rodent and put her up on a stage as if she actually knows ANYTHING ! People who use child activists make me sick.
Oh yeah, she's from Sweden, which apparently makes her automatically smarter . . .

 

[Hop Sing]

I haven't seen any fir die off but every spruce in our area is dead. And they were all mature trees.

 

[Flopsweat]

AND, then they get that little Greta Thunberg rodent and put her up on a stage as if she actually knows ANYTHING ! People who use child activists make me sick.
Oh yeah, she's from Sweden, which apparently makes her automatically smarter . . .

Except that she is literally mentally retarded.

 

[Certaindeaf]

Just East of spirit mountain casino.
Most noticeable in the fall.
enlarge..

 

[Hooyah DeepSea]

Yeah, I'm sure that's natural !!!

 

[Certaindeaf]

Yeah, I'm sure that's natural !!!

It's right by the indian casino so it's proof mother nature is not happy.. even though it's smiling, man.

 

[Cavedweller]

I've been driving I-5 at least once a month between Salem and Grants Pass for the last 22 years. I can remember not so long ago when you looked at the hills you saw nothing but green. In the last 5 years or so lots of trees have been dying. Now everywhere you look there are dead trees. I don't know if it's due to drought, climate change, or what, but there's no doubt that something is killing lots of trees.

 

[L84Cabo]

I love it when these stories come out as its been raining for days on end. Also love how they can't predict the weather in days but can tell me what will happen next year. Best part is every time they are wildly wrong with these they just move the dates forward again and keep up the lie. I remember in the 60's when they were telling us by now we would be in another ice age by 2000. How many times has one of these kooks said we have 10-15 years left? Then in 10 years they keep moving it forward like they never said what they said? I guess you have to give them credit, enough fools fall for it so it works.

Exactly! I'm 56 and I have lost count how many time the guberment experts have told me that the world is heading for an ice age one year and then a few years later they change it to, "the entire planet is going to become a desert and we're all going to die!"

 

[nwwoodsman]

Exactly! I'm 56 and I have lost count how many time the guberment experts have told me that.....

One doesn't need to be an expert to know that something is going on. I spend a bit of time outdoors. Haven't missed a hunting season in 25 years. These last two years were the first time I've pursued blacktails while I was decked out in shorts. Also seems to be a lot less snow during elk season. I've noticed a lot more dead dry trees and the leaves seem to be holding on later into the fall. Not a whole lot of science behind what I've said, but I know what I've been seeing.

 

[Provincial]

There is always scattered mortality in a healthy Fir forest. The lands capacity (including the moisture available) and the amount of sunlight place an upper limit on the number of Fir trees that can be supported. This number gets smaller as the trees age and get larger. The weaker trees cannot compete and are overtopped (leading to death from reduced sunlight), or cannot get enough nutrients and water, which also leads to death. The stronger trees survive and get larger. This is why older stands have much larger trees, and those are spaced rather far apart.

A drought puts more stress on the weaker trees, and accelerates the "natural thinning" process. If the dying and dead trees remain in the stand, a fire can destroy most of all of the remaining hardier trees. This happened in Oregon in 2020.

Douglas Fir did not exist in Oregon before the last Ice Age. The previous dominant tree species was Redwood. It may well be that Redwood will again be the dominant tree in at least Western Oregon.

 

[JustSomeGuy]

Welcome to Earth, where the climate has constantly been changing for the last 4.5 billion years. Personally, I view it as being normal as there does seem to be a bit of history suggesting that. Consequently, I see no reason for anyone to to be running around trying to get everyone in a tizzy about it...it's the ebb and flow of nature, and getting lathered up about it is a waste of time and effort.

 

[The Heretic]

Welcome to Earth, where the climate has constantly been changing for the last 4.5 billion years. Personally, I view it as being normal as there does seem to be a bit of history suggesting that. Consequently, I see no reason for anyone to to be running around trying to get everyone in a tizzy about it...it's the ebb and flow of nature, and getting lathered up about it is a waste of time and effort.

Welcome to Earth where humans have been changing the climate for thousands of years. The more humans the more the climate changes.

Not suggesting anybody run in circles screaming and shouting "oh no", but preparing for a drier climate in the summers, and wetter/colder in the winter, would be a good idea.

Or you can just go on as if nothing is changing and be unprepared.

 

[The Heretic]

Douglas Fir did not exist in Oregon before the last Ice Age. The previous dominant tree species was Redwood. It may well be that Redwood will again be the dominant tree in at least Western Oregon.

In the SW part of Orygun redwoods are not uncommon. Some people are planting Sequoia groves. There is one at the end of my private road and a few scattered here and there on it - they were planted. I planted one in the middle of my driveway island and it did well for about 7 years - growing from knee high to 12' high, then it turned brown and died. Not sure why - it was healthy and strong.

Anyway, I have thinned my forest. I personally went thru and marked the trees that were overtopped and too small/young to compete with the mature trees, those and the one that were too close to others. Also had the logger remove most of the hardwoods and brush - I also had him remove some of the hardwood stumps, then later I went thru with a dozer and removed more - so now it is mostly conifers where I could get the dozer without getting stuck (too steep where it drops off into the gully).

I have cedar down by the creek and at the bottom of my gully - they do well where it is wet.

My back acreage - about 10 acres - I had clear cut and then replated. The maple/alder stumps won't die unless I burn or spray them - so there are clumps of maple/alder regrowing from the stumps, but the replant is doing ok so far - just not as thick as was intended because the replanters went thru a week before we burned the slash and due to the unfortunate timing (I had not control over it) we destroyed some of the replant.

 

[JustSomeGuy]

Welcome to Earth where humans have been changing the climate for thousands of years. The more humans the more the climate changes.

Not suggesting anybody run in circles screaming and shouting "oh no", but preparing for a drier climate in the summers, and wetter/colder in the winter, would be a good idea.

Or you can just go on as if nothing is changing and be unprepared.

I'm not suggesting that the patterns go unrecognized or the appropriate steps to mitigate the effects be ignored. Being in the livestock and produce business, recognizing and preparing for climate fluctuations is an integral part of the continuing successful operation of my land. What I would suggest is that everyone evaluate the repercussions of those fluctuations and changes on their own lives and prepare accordingly without all the theatrics.

 

[Alexx1401]

One doesn't need to be an expert to know that something is going on. I spend a bit of time outdoors. Haven't missed a hunting season in 25 years. These last two years were the first time I've pursued blacktails while I was decked out in shorts. Also seems to be a lot less snow during elk season. I've noticed a lot more dead dry trees and the leaves seem to be holding on later into the fall. Not a whole lot of science behind what I've said, but I know what I've been seeing.

As opposed to what decade or even century when weather never changed? It is amazing how humans fall for this. Weather has been "changing " for as long as man has kept records of it. Yet there is always a few who will fall for it because this year is different than last year.

 

[Alexx1401]

Welcome to Earth, where the climate has constantly been changing for the last 4.5 billion years. Personally, I view it as being normal as there does seem to be a bit of history suggesting that. Consequently, I see no reason for anyone to to be running around trying to get everyone in a tizzy about it...it's the ebb and flow of nature, and getting lathered up about it is a waste of time and effort.

YEP! The best laugh is people who tel me the oceans are rising and then buy multiple million dollar homes on the water. As they tell me the beach where I live will soon swallow the homes. Their home must be exempt of course. Behind closed doors these people have to be rolling on the floor laughing at the morons who listen to them.