Climate Change Caused Widespread Tree Death In California

We realy have to take care of our environment because it will survive but, us, we won't. Human life is not eternal. A long time ago, there were dinosaurs on earth. They disappeared.

That crow could be seen as a sign. Does the child look a the tree or does he look at the crow ? In other words, does he look at the symbol of its futur or the symbol of its end ?

I d'ont know. And you ?

Vincent Meyer has contributed a photo to this story.

This photo was taken while hiking into Washington's Goat Rocks Wilderness Area in late July. This view is from the North, looking South, with several Goat Rocks peaks visible on the skyline. The Pacific Crest Trail traverses this beautiful pristine wilderness and many other trails enter the area as well.

(Edit) Oops... sorry, I thought I was adding a comment to the requested photo, not the storyline/news piece. A newbie mistake!

We're all concerned about climate change. Those of us, who have been around awhile, have all noticed it. The big question, in my mind, is; Is this just a normal cycle that the earth's climate is going through or are we directly influencing the changes in a catastrophic way?

rcpublishing2 has contributed a photo to this story.

What we are moving towards is thermal runaway, somewhat like what happens in a meltdown when a nuclear reactor runs out of control, but not so bad as that.  We still have time to bring control back to a degree at least.  How anyone can still believe that global warming is a sham or that it is just part of a normal cycle is beyond me.  The earth's temp rise has turned from a constant, slow gradual rise to one that seems to run an e curve or power curve now.  If one looks at society in general we see the same sort of trends within the global economy.  When greed and power/war mongering set in as in the past 7 years everything heats up, then implodes as is occurring now, albeit slowly.  We need world leaders who have both a very broad knowledge as well as the wisdom to see past parochial interests for the common good of mankind.

That is a very good information about what is going on in the California mountains as related to climate warming.  I had not been that familiar with what's been happening across the border.  We have a similar phenomenon happening in the Interior regions of British Columbia, and as a result the warmer winders over the past decade and half has caused a massive spread of the 'Pine Beetle'.   The measures taken by our provincial and federal governments (particularly, clear-cutting) have not reduced the devastation, it has only made the entire area vulnerable to degradation but has not stopped the spread of this beetle ... and it has been moving Eastwards at an alarming pace.  Biologists from Canada and the U.S. are coming to our area to witness the problem and take samples of larvae and experiment with various chemicals and pesticides.  So far, they have not reached a consensus on what the best approach is to eradicating the beetle. 

Right now it looks like the only promising solution may be to introduce another 'species' into the area -- one that would attack the beetle larvae for food.  Whatever measures will be tried it will probably only create other 'side problems'.

This isn't necessarily as surprising as it may at first seem: the forest to a large extent creates the habitat. Where the forest goes (up the mountain in this case) so will all the lichens that grow on them, all the mycorrhizal fungi that grow among their roots, all the forbs and grasses that require their shade, soil nutrients and pH, etc.

pellaea has contributed a photo to this story.

It doesn't surprise me that even trees are not immune to global warming. Forget the cynics who say the increased CO2 levels are good for the trees. In the big picture, we're essentially making a mass extinction ourselves, but I guess the silver lining is that Nature will move on long after us and biodiversity will re-establish itself after humans are long gone.

I wish there was a way to get renewable energy (i.e. not biofuels but REAL solutions like solar, wind, and geothermal) implemented and get rid of those politicians corrupted by oil and coal and unchecked capitalism (i.e. Republicans and some dirty Democrats)?

If Americans were truly solutions oriented, we would've voted for Green, but instead, we're stuck with a system where the problems never seem to be addressed and only get worse because someone on the inside is ensuring only a few crooks get rich and the taxpayers subsidize it. That's why we're still spending trillions of taxpayer dollars on "energy security" (i.e. subsidies for oil, coal, and biofuels; funding wars to try to plunder oil resources, etc.), and instead of solving the problems, we ARE the problem!

Now, we're trying to villify China. And while their environmental record is deplorable, we're in no position to criticize if we can't get our own act together.

storynature has contributed a photo to this story.

notbot has contributed a photo to this story.

The tree close up photo is from one of the few occasions in recent years when snowfall covered Portland, OR. This year the city was shut down by a week of thawing and refreezing. Walking was one of the few practical modes of transportation left. This photo was taken on Mt. Tabor, an active volcano in SE Portland where the quiet city could be seen from above.

As a landscape photographer I know first hand of the impact that we have on our environment. Many places I have ventured show signs of human contact with trash, trails, killing of plant life and just plain inconsideracy from those around, even in the most remote places. We need to really look into our souls as individuals and do what is right for the earth. Recycle, reuse, and really cherish this amazing planet we call earth so we can live on and allow our children to experience this wonderful place..
Other photos can be seen at: robertgustafsonphotography.com

leafmotor has contributed a photo to this story.

Jeffrey Pine, Yosemite National Park, October, 2006. Smoke from lightning-sparked wildfires can be seen in the background.

brian dean bollman has contributed a photo to this story.

Golf course in Yosemite NP

fauxtobug has contributed a photo to this story.

Serre-Chavalier, Hautes-Alpes, France.

Pines just after the snow

francom05 has contributed a photo to this story.

Global Warming is moving the ecosystem of trees further north, and causing insect infestations in our area that are killing off huge tracts of evergreens.  It also increases the chance of fires in our forests, and changes the cycles of the seasons with less snow and bug killing cold winters, along with more rain and flooding. 

This is one tree--actually looked like a teapot when you can see the base. This was taken on a hike to the top of Mt. Tallac, near Lake Tahoe.

envirocation has contributed a photo to this story.

When I took this pictures, the nature was so still...that was until the jeeps and the motorcycles started using the mountain roads...it's a pity...

dorina_tarnovan has contributed a photo to this story.

New England wall and tree, outside of Great Barington, MA

eddie07410 has contributed a photo to this story.

Prescottstyle Tree Farming. White Fir & Blue Spruce

prescottstyle has contributed a photo to this story.