The first week of May has been an eventful — and troublesome — one in the world of forests. Take a look in this edition of Forest Digest.
- Drought kills 12 million trees in California’s national forests — The Los Angeles Times
Last month, researchers the U.S. Forest Service conducted an aerial survey of more than 8.2 million acres of forest in California and estimated that the drought has killed off at least 12.5 million trees in California’s national forests during the drought.
- Forest Service chief predicts above normal U.S. wildfire season — Reuters
U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell told a U.S. Senate panel on Tuesday that he expects and an above-normal wildfire season formuch of the western and northern U.S., mainly because of extreme drought conditions and temperatures that are higher than average.
- California Races To Protect Its Forests As Fire Season Begins — NPR
This week marked the official start to California’s wildfire season and some of the state’s firefighters discuss how four years of drought and unusually high temperatures has increased the risk for widespread wildfire.
- New plan approved for Shoshone National Forest — Casper Star Tribune
Officials from Wyoming’s Shoshone National Forest, the country’s first national forest, have agreed to an updated forest plan, a process that began a decade ago. The plan doesn’t include new wilderness areas, but also prohibits motorized recreate in a large area of the forest, a compromise according to a staff member from a local conservation group.