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.

Most of the tree mortality can be attributed in part to drought or bark and engraver beetle attacks that have resulted in more than 200 million trees killed since 2010.

You can find the California Pest Conditions Report for 2022 here.

Some big differences in a year

Pine mortality attributed to mountain pine beetle remained elevated, with an estimated 380,000 dead trees across 44,000 acres in 2021 compared to 390,000 dead trees across 40,000 acres in 2022 and was most prevalent in and around Mammoth in the Inyo National Forests.

What’s going on?

According to U.S. Geological Survey forest ecologist Nathan Stephenson, who monitors the Sierra Nevada: “Drought sets the foundation for bark beetles. Even with terrible drought, amplified by climate change, many trees could have still likely persisted under dehydrated, stressed conditions. But with no energy to spend on fighting native bark beetle invasions by releasing toxic resins, the trees are defenseless.”

What’s being done?

In December, Cal Fire announced it is offering its local partners up to $120 million in grants to improve forest health by reducing fuels, conducting prescribed burns and managing pests. The grant money may also be put toward reforestation, conservation easements and or land purchases.

Since 2011, Cal Fire has spent more than $600 million on fire prevention efforts and removed or felled nearly 2 million dead trees. In 2018, California set the goal of treating 500,000 acres of wildland per year. Experts say that target has yet to be met.In 2022, an estimated $1.2 billion dollars was spent to mitigate wildfires in California.

You can look at Cal Fire’s assessment reports here.

You can see the U.S. Forest Service’s drought and tree mortality symposium fact sheet here.

2021 vs. 2022

• Acres surveyed in 2022: 39.6 million acres
• Dead trees: 36.3 million
• Acres with mortality: 2.6 million
• Acres surveyed in 2021: 38 million acres
• Dead trees: 9.5 million
• Acres with mortality: 1.3 million

Sources: U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Geological Survey, California Forest Pest Council, U.S. Department of Agriculture, CAL Fire

Source: Orange County Register