Droughts Responsible For , 1.1 Million Acres of Dead Trees, in Oregon.<br />NBC reports that Oregon experienced <br />a historic die-off of fir trees in 2022 <br />following widespread and recurrent droughts. .<br />According to researchers, damage to fir trees <br />was so significant that blighted areas <br />were referred to as "firmageddon.".<br />Researchers estimated that about 1.1 million acres <br />of firs had been damaged following aerial surveys. .<br />It is the most damage recorded in a single <br />season in the 75 years that surveys <br />have been taken of the area. .<br />NBC reports the widespread die-off of firs <br />illustrates how drought is reshaping Western <br />landscapes amid extreme heat conditions.<br />According to researchers, more drought-hardy <br />species of firs could be used to repopulate <br />dead areas, reshaping the local the ecosystem.<br />When I looked at it and crunched <br />the numbers, it was almost twice as bad<br />as far as acres impacted than anything <br />we had previously documented. <br />Nature is selecting which trees get <br />to be where during the drought, Danny DePinte, Aerial survey program manager <br />for the U.S. Forest Service, via NBC.<br />According to scientists, a number of factors are <br />contributing to widespread die-offs in Oregon, <br />but many view droughts as the primary cause. .<br />There are multiple factors at play here. <br />One of the things most of us agree on: <br />The primary factor we have <br />going on here is hot drought, Danny DePinte, Aerial survey program manager <br />for the U.S. Forest Service, via NBC.<br />According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, almost half of <br />Oregon is experiencing severe, extreme or exceptional <br />droughts, with eastern Oregon the most impacted.
