On Wednesday, the USDA Forest Service (Forest Service) released its most recent aerial survey numbers revealing that a staggering 26 million additional trees have died in the southern Sierra Nevada due to drought-induced pest infestations since October 2015. Forest Service officials state that a total of 66 million trees have now succumbed during the unprecedented die-off since 2010, and expect those totals to continue to climb at a rapid pace for the foreseeable future. Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) officials expect the high mortality rate to have dire impacts on the State’s wildfire season in 2016, and for several years to come.
Trees impacted by recent severe drought conditions can take up to four years to recover to their natural moisture levels, during which time the pest infestation will continue to spread throughout the most drought-impacted areas of the state. While Governor Brown issued an Emergency Proclamation in October 2015 on tree mortality, funding from both the State and federal governments has yet to reach the level where local, State, and federal partners can effectively remove trees that pose an immediate threat while managing the forests for more long-term forest health goals. On Wednesday, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack called for Congress to act upon legislation that would end the practice of fire borrowing – taking funds from forest management and other forest health programs for necessary fire suppression efforts – by classifying wildfires as natural disasters eligible for disaster relief funding.
For more information on Forest Service activities on tree mortality, and to read the full press release on the aerial survey, click here.