More than one million acres of forested land in Oregon contained dead or dying fir trees, indicated by red needles atop their canopies in this photo taken in July 2022, during an aerial survey conducted by the U.S. Forest Service.
U.S. Forest Service
Since the extreme heat dome in the Pacific Northwest in 2021, researchers have been busy trying to identify all the different effects that heat had on trees and forests. One of those researchers is Chris Still, a professor in the college of forestry at Oregon State University. He says a collaboration with the U.S. Forest Service using satellite data is revealing the swaths in the region that were most damaged. Researchers have also found that tree growth after a heat event does not seem to be as resilient compared to growth after a drought. Still joins us to share more about the research and what it may portend for future heat domes and other extreme heat events that are likely as the planet continues to warm.
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