Drought In Nevada Killing Pinon Pine Trees - CC Times

[hatrack]

CARSON CITY, Nev. - "For thousands of years, American Indians carefully tended stands of pinon pines in Nevada. The Washoe people would gather nuts in the Pine Nut Mountains and use them throughout the year to toast and make powder, stews and salves. Surviving climate changes, stands of the odd-looking trees with twisting branches and stiff needles spread through the West. But a recent phenomenon has scientists concerned.

A few years ago, researchers in several Western states started noticing shorter needles on the pines and black powdery substances around them. Then the trees started dying. "When you see those start dying, they're beyond just dry," said Kelly Redmond, climatologist with the Western Regional Climate Center in Reno. "They belong here. They're adapted to dry conditions. When they start showing stress, they're telling you there's more stress than usual."

Tree experts are trying to determine what is killing off hundreds of pinons, the state tree of Nevada. "People are starting to very much watch these patterns of mortality," said Connie Millar, research geneticist at the Institute of Forest Genetics for the U.S. Forest Service's Pacific Southwest Research Station. "We're looking at a regionwide phenomenon."

In one grove south of Gardnerville along U.S. 395, as many as 20 percent of the trees have died in the past few years. Scientists investigating the tree deaths are focusing on the effects of a four-year drought that has gripped northern Nevada and neighboring states."

EDIT

http://www.contracostatimes.com/mld/cctimes/news/7739783.htm

[gate of the sun]

1. While searching the internet about the pinon beetle in Santa Fe

I found that tree's are dying all over. this news is disconcerting at best. I wonder the enviromental impact of all of this.....they expect 80-90% of all the pinons to be gone from Santa Fe by next year.

[jeffreyi]

2. Check out the Drought Monitor

At
http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html

[GreenGreenLimaBean]

3. These stands will not return in our lifetimes

The climate has changed so much that I doubt any seedlings will
be able to grow. I recently was in Zion National Park, and a large
part of the park was burned in 1993. What struck me as very odd
and disconcerting was the fact that over the thousands of acres of burned
out trees there weren't any Ponderosa Seedlings growing to replace
the ones that had burned. I can only attribute this to the fact
that Zion is getting hotter and drier and the conditions are no
longer favorable to growing Ponderosa anymore. I would guess
the Pinons in Nevada will not reestablish themselves until the
climate returns to normal.

[gate of the sun]

4. Zion is one of my favorite places

been going there since I was a little kid......very sad.I was checking at the drought map and it doesn't look to good .