Insects, disease making Washington forests unhealthy
In 2019, there were 658,000 acres of sick and dying trees in Washington as a result of insects and disease. Author: Glenn Farley Updated: 9:04 AM PDT July 16, 2021
KITTITAS COUNTY, Wash. The eastern half of Washington has nearly 3 million acres of unhealthy forest, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
Unhealthy covers a wide range of concerns, including forests that are overgrown. It also includes forests that are infested with bugs and fungi.
In 2015, aerial surveys found 338,000 acres of sick and dying trees. By 2019, that number had nearly doubled to 658,000 acres of trees that are dead and dying as the result of insects and disease. Survey flights were not made in 2020 because of COVID-19.
How Washington is helping diseased forests get healthier
Prescribed burning is a key tool that Washington crews use to remove smaller trees and low-level vegetation, which reduces the threat of massive wildfires. Author: Glenn Farley Updated: 7:20 PM PDT July 16, 2021
What can be done to help Washington forests regain their health?
The eastern half of Washington has nearly 3 million acres of unhealthy forest, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. Unhealthy covers a wide range of concerns, including forests that are overgrown. It also includes forests that are infested with bugs and fungi.
The state Legislature recently approved an additional $125 million every two-year budget cycle to fight fires and improve forest health.
Insects, disease making Washington forests unhealthy
In 2019, there were 658,000 acres of sick and dying trees in Washington as a result of insects and disease. Author: Glenn Farley Updated: 7:28 PM PDT July 15, 2021
KITTITAS COUNTY, Wash. The eastern half of Washington has nearly 3 million acres of unhealthy forest, according to the Washington State Department of Natural Resources.
Unhealthy covers a wide range of concerns, including forests that are overgrown. It also includes forests that are infested with bugs and fungi.
In 2015, aerial surveys found 338,000 acres of sick and dying trees. By 2019, that number had nearly doubled to 658,000 acres of trees that are dead and dying as the result of insects and disease. Survey flights were not made in 2020 because of COVID-19.
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Growth in western Washington wildfires a worrying trend amid stressed forests
Washington wildfires are starting earlier in the year and with higher frequency. State officials hope to help forests regain their health before it s too late. Author: Glenn Farley Updated: 7:09 PM PDT July 14, 2021
Washington’s wildfire season is like waiting for a bomb to go off.
Typically, the most dangerous months of the season – August and September – arrive after California, Oregon and most other western states had been burning for months. Now two shifts are happening: more Washington fires are starting earlier in the summer, and the number of fires is going up in western Washington, which is the cooler and moister side of the state.