Forests of the southern Sierra Nevada become victims of climate change

Wildfires, drought and bark beetle infestations between 2011 and 2020 have led to the loss of nearly a third of all conifer forests in the lower half of the mountain range. This is according to a recent study published in a journal related to ecology. It puts the loss to eighty-five percent of the southern Sierra’s high-density mature forests. These have either lost density or became non-forest vegetation. Obviously, climate change is taking a heavy toll of the landscape of California. It is not only staggering but also often irreversible. Losses of this nature could have grave consequences for wildlife in the region. These include protected species like spotted owls and Pacific fishers. They rely on mature tree canopies for their habitats. In the opinion of researchers, the findings are another indication of the shifting climate regime. Moreover, these offer new insights that could help guide forest management and conservation strategies. Nearly a third of southern Sierra forests killed by drought and wildfire in last decade. The Sierra covers about a quarter of California’s land area. Hundreds of plants and animals call the region home, and the forest helps sequester carbon and store water for the state’s residents.

The problem is multifaceted. Human-caused climate change is contributing to warmer, drier conditions. These are converting once-green forests into brittle tinder and lengthening the window of time in which wildfires can burn each year. Wildfires once regularly simmered along the forest floors, today’s “megafires” are burning at high severity and searing some trees up to the top. Incidentally, the loss of forestland may be jarring to humans, but it is devastating for some creatures that call the Sierra home. California spotted owls, which typically occupy nest sites with huge canopy cover are left with fewer options in younger, sparser forests. Climate change is a “threat multiplier” and it might lead to irreversible disturbances in due course of time.

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