Scientists from Cal Poly Humboldt conducted a range-wide analysis of coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) to examine growth trends and understand how these trees are responding to recent environmental changes. They found that redwoods have varying sensitivity to drought, and that rising temperatures may affect tree performance in unexpected ways—results that are both concerning and hopeful. The study … was led by Cal Poly Humboldt Forestry Professor Stephen C. Sillett, the Kenneth L. Fisher Chair in Redwood Forest Ecology. Sillett’s team was supported by the Save the Redwoods League through their ongoing Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative (RCCI). This phase of RCCI was designed to investigate how redwoods across their range are responding to the changing climate, and what these responses mean for long-term carbon sequestration and biodiversity. …”With thick fire-resistant bark and an amazing capacity for clonal reproduction, few tree species are so well equipped to persist in an uncertain future,” the authors write. 

California’s precious trees are receiving a much-needed reprieve from the extreme drought conditions they have been experiencing for several decades. The same atmospheric river storm system that is bringing devastating flooding to communities all over California is providing relief to the state’s forests, according to experts. Data released last week by the U.S. Drought Monitor shows that regions in California and Nevada that were previously in “exceptional drought” status the week before … have been alleviated as a result of the heavy rain walloping the coast. The moisture is likely to stave off a mass die-off of trees in the West, Jim Randerson, a professor at the University of California Irvine said. It is extremely important for the health of forests that water to seep deep into the ground, even into the weathered bedrock, Nate Stephenson, a scientist emeritus at the U.S. Geological Survey’s Western Ecological Research Center, told ABC News.

Douglas-fir trees will likely experience more stress from drier air as the climate changes than they will from less rain, computer modeling by Oregon State University scientists shows. The research is important because Douglas-fir are widespread throughout the Pacific Northwest, an iconic species with ecological, cultural and economic significance, and learning how the trees respond to drought is crucial for understanding forest sensitivity to a shifting climate. Douglas-fir grow in a range that stretches from northern British Columbia to central California, and also includes the Rocky Mountains and northeastern Mexico. In Oregon, Douglas-fir are found in a variety of mixed conifer and hardwood forests, from sea level to 5,000 feet. …The OSU study, published in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, simulated the response of a 50-year-old stand of Douglas-fir on the Oregon Cascade Range’s west slope to less rain and higher “vapor pressure deficit,” or VPD—basically the atmosphere’s drying power.

The mighty redwood trees are an iconic part of California. However, after historic storms slammed the Golden State, the condition of the trees remains to be seen. …The excessive amounts of precipitation destabilized the soil in some areas, leading to sinkholes, mudslides and felled trees. …Their condition after the recent storms is currently uncertain as State Parks does not yet have a full assessment of the storm impacts, according to Adeline Yee. Yee noted the vulnerable nature of “old-growth” redwoods, which are the larger, older trees in the parks. The size and weight of their trunks and branches make the old-growth trees more likely to fall. …The California State Parks department has received reports that several park units have experienced downed trees, flooding and power outages. As of Wednesday morning, State Parks had completely closed 54 park units and partially closed 38. 

MONTANA — There’s no other way to put it, the Cabinet-Yaak grizzly population is going downhill fast — which is the opposite of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s legal mandate to recover, not extinguish, endangered species. …Given the precipitous population loss, the Alliance for the Wild Rockies and Native Ecosystems Council had no choice but to file a lawsuit on Jan. 6 to overturn the Kootenai National Forest’s approval of the massive Black Ram logging and road-building project. Stretching from the Canadian border to the Yaak River, in northwest Montana, the Black Ram decision authorized clearcutting on an estimated 2,442 acres, 1,460 acres of additional commercial logging, 7,034 acres of burning, 3.5 miles of new road construction and reconstruction of 90.3 miles of existing logging roads. …It is long past time for the Forest Service to recover grizzly bears by protecting their habitat as required by law instead of destroying it.

SACRAMENTO, California — On a good day, the elms, pines, oaks and hundreds of other tree varieties fill Sacramento’s parks and line streets, fortifying the city’s reputation as the “City of Trees.” But on a bad one, violent winds knock some of the trees down, causing damage to cars, homes and power lines. That’s what happened in recent weeks as the defining feature that’s normally seen as an asset to the city has given way to destruction and disruption as multiple “ atmospheric rivers ” ripped through Northern California. Wind gusts reached more than 60 miles per hour on Sunday, strong enough to rip massive trees straight up from the root. And as climate change continues to fuel the drought in California, trees are left weakened and more likely to uproot. …More than 1,000 trees have fallen in Sacramento since the New Year’s Eve.