Texas Drought

[wulkowicz]

Drought may have killed a half-billion trees, Texas Forest Service says – CNN

So far, early estimates show the effects of the drought are numerous and widespread.

"Large numbers of trees in both urban communities and rural forests have died or are struggling to survive," said Burl Carraway, head of the forest service's Sustainable Forestry Department.

The survey was the first of a three-part long-term program that industry experts are using to gather scientific data that will help determine how many trees died in the drought.

"During this time of year, it's difficult to tell in some cases if a tree is truly dead," Carraway said.

But in the spring, foresters plan to use satellite imagery and aerial photography for a more in-depth analysis that will check for leafing.

Edgar said that measuring the trees that produce new leaves for the season will help determine how they responded to the drought and show which ones survived.

And a more scientific, long-term study will be completed as the agency collects data through its Forestry Inventory and Analysis, a federally funded program that is considered a census for trees.

The agency's main purpose is to keep a close watch on trees -- and how they're growing and changing -- across the state.

"Trees grow over many years and decades," Edgar said. But the combination of heat, lack of rain and wind has taken its toll, he said.

When you couple a tree's complex and extensive life cycle with the known variables that come with a drought, the process could take a long time. Edgar said that during this time, he expects more trees to succumb to the ongoing drought.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, severe to extreme drought affected about 20% of the contiguous United States as of the end of November.




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I'm a little bit puzzled by this news report; and if I think about it, I actually should be a more bitter puzzled by our larger picture.

We are told that we will be collecting more scientific data about the death of trees this spring when foresters plan to use satellite imagery and aerial photography for a more in-depth analysis that will check for leafing. … measuring the trees that produce new leaves for the season will help determine how they responded to the drought and show which ones survived.


I'm sorry, but what are the imperatives in this story? To count the dead trees, or keep them alive?

I'm often grouchy, and for some, continuously irritating, but where are my other stewards in this catastrophe?

Let me paraphrase Sen. Dirksen with, A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking real wood chips.



Bob Wulkowicz


http://articles.cnn.com/2011-12-20/us/us...-trees?_s=PM:US

 

[Tom Dunlap]

In my career I've had to be a surgeon and a mortician. I have gotten much higher rewards, economic and emotional, from being a surgeon.

Counting dead trees??? Why? Seems grisly.

Everyone must have heard about the fire in Bastrop, a city about 30 miles east of Austin. That fire was started when limbs fell onto power lines and caused arcing. The conditions were perfect for the fire to get huge. The fire was relatively easy to fight and contain too. One of the men that is on the Z133 committee trains the USFS firefighters and smoke jumpers. These guys are our 'special forces' for fighting fires. I was told that they came here, made suggestions about how to fight and contain the fire, but were told by the locals that they were to stand aside and follow local guidance. The locals were firefighters too...mostly ones that are trained to contain building fires, not wildland fires. As a result, the 'amateurs' didn't follow the suggestions of the 'pros' and decisions were made that allowed the fire to grow.

The land east of Austin is relatively flat, filled with access roads that are continuous, pine and mixed hardwood cover. The land around Austin and to the west is almost the opposite. Roads in subdivisions and residential areas have a lot of dead ends, this can trap people if a fire crosses a road, very hill, its called The Hill Country for obvious reasons, covered with live oak and junipers with LOTS decades worth of brush on the ground. Next spring when, not if, fires get going they will be terrifying! These fires will be hard to contain because of all of the above reasons. The one small advantage is that there are rivers and large reservoirs on the west side of Austin. The catch is that they look more like rock quarries with streams at the bottom now than reservoirs.

We're getting nice soaking rains now. But, at the end of the summer central Texas was down 25" of water. If we're lucky and this rain continues we might gain up to 10" which is still not enough to saturate the ground nor rehydrate the trees enough. Historically, the winter doesn't bring 10" of rain either.

It would be easier, and cheaper, to just count the trees that died in square miles than by individuals and get out the hose...but...where is the water???

 

[Crazy_Jimmy]

Guess will be doing alot of removals come spring

 

[Tom Dunlap]

You're right, Jimmy. The cedar elms in the wild areas where they have the best growing conditions started to flash brown over a few days at the beginning of August. That is NOT dormancy..that is dead! To my eye, and the rest of the arbos down here, that is an indicator, canary in the coal mine, for us to forecast the health of the urban forest.