Today, Dec. 11, The U.S.D.A. Forest Service announced that an additional 27 million trees, mostly conifers, died throughout California since Nov. 2016, bringing the total number of trees that have died due to drought and bark beetle infestation to a historic 129 million on 8.9 million acres. According to the report The Sierra National Forest is home to the most damaged acres, recorded at just over one million acres. It also houses the largest numbers of dead trees at nearly 32 million. Tulare, Fresno and Madera are the three hardest hit counties. “The number of dead and dying trees has continued to rise, along with the risks to communities and firefighters if a wildfire breaks out in these areas,” said Randy Moore, Regional Forester of the U.S.D.A. Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region.