A new paper is out, and it looks like the higher temperatures have induced drought and beetle stress which has resulted in California losing much of its conifer forests over the last decade:

Mega-disturbances cause rapid decline of mature conifer forest habitat in California

Primarily due to the combination of wildfires, drought, and drought-associated beetle epidemics, 30% of the region's conifer forest extent transitioned to non-forest vegetation during 2011-2020. Fifty percent of mature forest habitat and 85% of high density mature forests either transitioned to lower density forest or non-forest vegetation types.

We're in for a very changed state if we don't really rapidly phase out fossil fuels which are causing the warming

Posted on October 25, 2022 02:09 PM by dsacer