California’s Forests: Where Have All the Big Trees Gone?
By Warren Cornwall, National Geographic 10/2/2105 http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/01/150119-california-forest-shrinking-climate-drought-science/ |
California has lost an estimated 50% of its trees with a diameter of over 2 feet. This is an occurrence all over the state from the Oregon border to the Mexican. Some places in Southern California have even lost up to 75% of their big trees. It is not completely known why there has been such a loss in big trees but it is expected that the drought has played a major role. Bigger trees are more sensitive to water shortages due to the higher stress the water plays on them.
These trees are very important to the California ecosystem. The bigger trees are important as they produce more seeds and are much more resistant to wildfires. With wildfires become an ever increasing concern it is more important now than ever to have these resistant trees. Although there has been a decrease in larger trees, there has been a surge of smaller trees to fill their place. This could possibly stem from the trees rising to fill the losses. |
I find this article to be very alarming, as the loss of these big trees could be devastating to certain ecosystems. Not only are these large trees very important, they are also extremely beautiful and deserve to be protected. Some of these trees have been growing for thousands of years and carry with them an immense history. These are trees that were around to see the birth of this nation, or even further back to the fall of Rome. With these trees is history that deserves to be preserved and protected by any means necessary to preserve them for future generations.
|