The State of the Trees · Episode 7 of 13 · 21 min
The Conifer Backbone: Is the Timber Engine of the West Holding?
Douglas-fir, the cedars and the white pines are the commercial and ecological spine of the western forest, and it is under strain. Oregon's 2022 'Firmageddon' mapped about 1.1 million acres of fir mortality, mostly true firs rather than Douglas-fir. Western redcedar is dying back after the 2021 heat dome, and whitebark pine became the first widespread U.S. tree listed as Threatened.
Where it happens
- Oregon+2 more episodesRoughly 1.1 million acres of fir mortality mapped in 2022
- Pacific NorthwestRegion hit by the June 2021 heat dome
- Sierra Nevada, California+6 more episodesHeavy sugar pine mortality in the 2012-2016 drought
- southwestern OregonDouglas-fir 'dieback spiral' on drought-stressed sites
Timeline
- Early 20th centuryWhite pine blister rust spreads across western five-needle pines
- 2012-2016California drought kills conifers across the Sierra Nevada
- June 2021Heat dome bakes the Pacific Northwest
- 2022Aerial survey records the worst single-season fir die-off in about 75 years
- December 2022Whitebark pine listed as Threatened
Still debated
The headline of 1.1 million acres of dead fir invites the wrong inference that Douglas-fir was the victim; the die-off was dominated by true firs, while Douglas-fir's dieback is a separate concurrent event.