Natural History Wanderings

In the article  Safeguarding Mammoth Trees, Champs of the Ecosystem the New York Times  reported on the loss of large trees in North America. Death rates in old growth forests have doubled over the last few decades but the cause is not definitely known. Big Trees in Yosemite have declined by 25 % from the 1930’s to 1990’s. The Times reported

“In a research plot in California’s Yosemite National Park, big trees those with a diameter greater than three feet at chest height account for only 1 percent of trees but store half of the area’s biomass, according to a study published this week in PLoS ONE.”

Large trees have thick bark that helps trees survive fire and insect attacks. Even when they die these trees are important as habitat for many species such as threatened Northern Spotted Owl and the endangered Marbled Murrelet make their homes in the canopies of old-growth forests.

Read more in the New York Times Safeguarding Mammoth Trees, Champs of the Ecosystem