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An analysis of data collected last week by the US Forest Service’s Remote Sensing Lab in Sacramento has provided some information about current drought impacts in Southern California forests.
This winter the Forest Service contracted with East-West Forestry Associates, a professional forest inventory firm of Inverness, to re-measure 106 forested survey plots where it had established permanent sample plots in 1995. Almost 3 thousand trees were measured and tagged in 1995 on the Angeles, San Bernardino and Cleveland National Forests. The current survey found that 391 of these trees, or about 14%, are now dead, and that the majority of those trees have died within the past 2 years.
On the Angeles National Forest, where 6 survey plots were relocated, only 9 of 214 trees were dead. Twenty survey plots with 488 live trees on the Cleveland National Forest were remeasured. One hundred fifteen dead trees were found there--almost 24% of the total. Of these 70% were killed by last year's fires while the rest are standing dead from drought-related beetle infestation. Trees killed by fire were evenly distributed among canyon live oak, Jeffrey pine and black oak. Some of the fire killed oaks may re-sprout from their roots, while the pines will not. On the San Bernardino National Forest, 266 dead trees were found among 2048 trees remeasured--13% mortality. Of those trees, none were killed by fire--the current drought and consequent insect and disease infestations being responsible for virtually all of the mortality.
Though no species is immune, almost half of the trees currently being killed by the drought are white fir and Jeffrey pine. The remainder of the dead trees are almost equally big cone Douglas-fir, pinyon pine, Coulter pine, sugar pine, black oak and canyon live oak. Foresters are worried that rare Coulter pine populations may be devastated by this drought.
East-West Foresters Rob East, Ron Arnett and Rob Barnard measuring dead trees on the San Bernardino National Forest
Mortality is localized in the heavily forested high mountain areas at the eastern end of the LA basin, at Arrowhead, Big Bear, San Gorgonio and San Jacinto, and at the north end of the Laguna Mountains near Julian. Of all the dead trees, only 4% have been cut or removed, and so there is dramatically increased woody fuel accumulation—translate “fire hazard” — in the forest this year.
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