Mike Cruickshank

Fir trees in the Pacific Northwest have died off in record numbers in 2022 after three years of severe drought and heat waves, according to U.S. Forest Service researchers. …These mortality events are not unheard of, but this is twice as bad as any that has been recorded since the agency started tracking forest health in 1947. The dead trees are mostly white fir and California red fir, but what is killing them similarly threatens the BC interior. …Now, the province’s top forestry official is worried that recent droughts and heat waves will accelerate the die-off. …Shane Berg, B.C.’s Chief Forester said, “There’s only one way that you can actively and aggressively remove them, and that is to salvage the trees.” …At the Canadian Forest Service’s Pacific Forest Centre, researchers are hoping to breed more resilient varieties that can be replanted for future forests. [to access the full story a Globe & Mail subscription is required].