Trees Are Dying Faster

In the western United States, the rate of tree deaths has doubled in the last thirty years.

Scientists at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) believe the culprit is global warming, according to a January 22 press release.

A new study led by USGS scientist Phil van Mantgem found that trees of all sizes and elevations have been affected.

Published today in Science, it is the first large-scale study of tree death rates in forests or temperate regions.

Adding more worry is the fact that increased tree deaths increases the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere, speeding up global warming. It's a vicious cycle, indeed.

"The same way that in any group of people a small number will die each year, in any forest a small number of trees die each year," said van Mantgem. "But our long-term monitoring shows that tree mortality has been climbing, while the establishment of replacement trees has not."

Time to think about getting an artificial tree next Christmas.

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photo: Gafoto