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Tree mortality rate increasing, says prof
Trees have been living half as long, Harmon said, which is a result of climate change
Makenna Bishop
Issue date: 2/3/09 Section: News
Mark Harmon, a professor in forestry, has spent his 30-year career researching tree mortality. Still, he says, there is much more to understand.
Throughout the west there has been an increase in tree mortality rate.
Of the regions studied, the Pacific Northwest was the most effected.
The annual tree mortality rate is only changing from one percent to two percent each year. These small numbers, however, add up and have a large impact.
In the past the mortality rate has been significantly low at 0.5 percent per year. This means that the trees have a life span of 600 to 1,000 years.
Now the longevity of trees, with the doubling rates, have a life span that ranges from 300 to 500 years. While the change might not seem like much, the effect is cumulative.
"Could you imagine if the human life span was cut in half?" Harmon asked.
"If suddenly people were only living to 45 years, everyone would notice. With the forest it will take a long time; if trees are living half as long as they used to the forest won't be as large."
If this continues to change there will be big implications, Harmon said. The local community relies heavily on the forest for water, wood, recreation, wildlife habitats and even storing carbon.
Melissa Cady, a sophomore in graphic design, said she doesn't think people actually realize how this could affect simple, everyday things.
"This affects more than our environment, and natural resources," Cady said. "Picnics in the shade and forest scenery could eventually be taken away."
Harmon said the data deals with many variables, which can lead to many uncertainties. The next step, he said, is gathering even more evidence.
The research is fairly simple and low-tech. After an area of the forest is chosen to study, the field researchers tag and number each tree.
The process is long, needing at least five years before the researchers go back to see if the trees are still living. Dimensions are measured to record the growth rate.
Throughout the west there has been an increase in tree mortality rate.
Of the regions studied, the Pacific Northwest was the most effected.
The annual tree mortality rate is only changing from one percent to two percent each year. These small numbers, however, add up and have a large impact.
In the past the mortality rate has been significantly low at 0.5 percent per year. This means that the trees have a life span of 600 to 1,000 years.
Now the longevity of trees, with the doubling rates, have a life span that ranges from 300 to 500 years. While the change might not seem like much, the effect is cumulative.
"Could you imagine if the human life span was cut in half?" Harmon asked.
"If suddenly people were only living to 45 years, everyone would notice. With the forest it will take a long time; if trees are living half as long as they used to the forest won't be as large."
If this continues to change there will be big implications, Harmon said. The local community relies heavily on the forest for water, wood, recreation, wildlife habitats and even storing carbon.
Melissa Cady, a sophomore in graphic design, said she doesn't think people actually realize how this could affect simple, everyday things.
"This affects more than our environment, and natural resources," Cady said. "Picnics in the shade and forest scenery could eventually be taken away."
Harmon said the data deals with many variables, which can lead to many uncertainties. The next step, he said, is gathering even more evidence.
The research is fairly simple and low-tech. After an area of the forest is chosen to study, the field researchers tag and number each tree.
The process is long, needing at least five years before the researchers go back to see if the trees are still living. Dimensions are measured to record the growth rate.
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H
posted 2/03/09 @ 12:48 AM PST
It is "affected" not "effected." Who edits this?
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