Trees dying in the western US is a result of climate warming and drought, which sort of go hand in hand. The situation is quite dire. Here in NM we have had some severe wildfires that decimate the forest in large areas. All that is left at times is grey ash and blackened trunks waiting to fully dry out, rot at the base and topple on their own or by wind.
Right now, near us, the Cerro Pelado fire is running into an area that was devasted in 2017. Many of the blackened dead trees from the 2017 fires have fallen since and are now contributing to the spread of the present fire. It used to be that wildfires burned more slowly and could spend months meandering here and there. That was before commercial interests pushed for all wildfires to be extinguished to preserve the timber value. Couple that with all the various reasons that most logging was halted a few decades ago and we have ended up with too many trees crowded together. This was a problem the droughts have exacerbated.
last month, an arborist told us ALL of our Ash Trees are infected.
they are not dead yet, but will be in 2 or 3 years.
right now, they are small enough that i can
remove them by myself (and Stihl).
They shatter like glass. Luckily the lawn was frozen when I took mine down. There was a covering of hard snow/ice so I could use the tractor’s bucket to push the tops into piles along the wood line. :sunglasses: I will mulch the small stuff when I mow this summer. Some were over 2 feet in diameter and over 100 feet tall. Campfire wood for life.
Here we are 10-11 days later and the Cerro Pelado fire is still burning. Now it has covered 42,000+ acres (17000 hectares) and does not want to stop. My adopted hometown of Los Alamos has moved to the “Set” stage of “Ready-Set-Go evacuation preparedness as it is sorta in the way… depending on winds and so on…
Three and a half miles (5.5 km) to the Lab property, 6-1/2 miles (<6 km) to home.
In the U.K. Dutch Elm Disease hit hard and killed most of our big, mature Elm trees in the 70’s- 80’s. There is no Dutch Elm tree as such, the disease was identified by Dutch scientist in 1914 and affects various Ulmus species. The vast change to the English landscape was caused by a fungus carried by bark beetles imported on Canadian logs, and hit again very aggressively when I was growing up.
There are pockets of mature Elms to this day, protected by the sea to the south of here and the high Downland. The beetles can’t fly in. Here’s a link to some of the history.
Regarding engineered Elms, they already exist, we have been planting them locally in hedgerows, 16 more early this year along a local road. They’re not genetically engineered as in changing the DNA and using it to grow a species, but from growing and exposing many thousands and picking the ones that survive, taking cuttings or root shoots and Groots.
Main tree disease here at the moment is Ash Dieback. It’s thriving in the ‘nature hates a monoculture’ forests and pretty much all trees, especially roadside, are being clear felled. I’m not sure the felling of all of them is necessary and suspect the government grants being handed out are driving it financially for landowners and contractors. The disease came from Asia and has been around so long the Asian trees have built natural immunity. The ‘advice’ for what it’s worth is to leave any tree that appears strong and healthy amongst others, but like I say, there are government grants to exploit for cash, and not a valid interest in letting the trees cope with the disease. Felling them all is pretty much the same fate but with a quicker return in the double bubble of cash for free and the selling of firewood (which is becoming a premium heating fuel due to vast increases in energy costs).
More on this here.
We really do need to learn how to live with nature better rather than just sell it.
Fingers crossed, Don! Dismayed yesterday to see that the Hermit’s Peak fire is still raging and they’re having to prepare to protect Mora. I hope it doesn’t ravage up through Jicarita Peak and the Pecos Wilderness.
Next time I drive through there it’s probably going to make me cry.
Is it spreading westward at all to the Jemez area?
The prevailing weather patterns usually mean the areas to the western side of fire are safer than the areas to the E, NE, and SE. But that does not come with a guarantee. This Cerro Pelado fire moved north and east very quickly, but did also back to the west a little. The winds were wicked strong and gusting high for days.
Every Super Scooper aircraft in the US is presently here picking up water from Cochiti Lake. They are quite a sight to see in pickup mode.
There is an even larger fire about 50 miles to the east that is now the second-largest NM wildfire in history.
If anyone is interested and has Google Earth on their PC or mobile there is a fire map overlay of the Cerro Pelado fire available on this page.
Yes to those concerns! We are trying to carry on as normal as we can. Today we had the first of three selected solar power contractors come visit us at the home we moved to. The first estimate was right about what I thought it would be. I don’t feel like clambering all over the roof doing that sort of thing anymore. So we have a new roof and will end up with PV power again. I retain some optimism about the future.
This is good….what gets us through anything! Sheesh, I didn’t realize the winds were as strong as they are right now and it doesn’t appear to be fire-generated either. Not quite as strong in those eastern fires but still fanning the flames. I finally found where I could see daily boundaries/progression. Looks like it may not creep up into the aspens and firs but it’s already in some of the wilderness area and it sure raced north over the last 24 hours. Looks like Mora is safe for now…Angelfire is on Ready status now.
I hope you guys stay safe and out of harm’s way…smoke-free would be nice too, wouldn’t it. Time to make some more of those squirrel picnic tables…those fellas to the south may be running your way and they’ll be hungry when they get there.
