Douglas fir die-off in Southern Oregon gives a glimpse into the future of West Coast forests | Douglas fir trees around Ashland are dying in the thousands. It’s one example of how our changing climate is affecting forests in the region.

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1. Vancouver Island, BC 

   Our beautiful Cedars are dying. See more desicated browned, browning trees every year due to deepening drought and increasing heat.
   Our main river had sandbanks in the middle of its stream last summer. And sometime soon there’ll be a fight over corporate mill rights vs nature’s rights.

   They start thinning at the top, the first visible sign. 
   In 2018 we had a hugely damaging windstorm that knocked over thousands+,  I believe, hindered driving, power for weeks.
   We’d had a lot of rain that allowed their shallow tree roots to loosen and topple the whole tree.

   We lost so many and it’s been continuously more dry each year since. Last year we hit level 5 drought, level 4 water restrictions and lost many, many more trees. 

   I haven’t even started on decades of overlogging, clear cuts, old growth logging, monoculture tree lots replanted instead of true forests, which all contribute to increased fires.

   I’ve been in this area over 60 years, and I can barely remember what it used to look, feel, smell like then. I remember falling in love with this beautiful part of the world when I was 8, laying in a shallow creek watching water skeeters, dragon flies, hearing bees, birds, bugs. Filtered sun through our broad leaf maples. Truly had the best then. ❤️🌱