A6 BAKER CITY HERALD • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2022
NATION
Lisa Britton/Baker City Herald, File
A Forest Service report examines the widespread die-off of true fir trees
in parts of Oregon and Washington.
Trees
Continued from A5
Extreme heat, including last
year’s record-breaking “heat
dome,” is also being investi-
gated as a possible cause.
“When a drought event
comes around it basically
weakens the entire forest to a
point where the insects and
the diseases start to work in
tandem, and this pushes a tree
over the edge and it succumbs
to mortality,” DePinte said.
What’s noteworthy about
Firmageddon isn’t just the to-
tal area impacted. It’s the num-
ber of dead trees within that
space. In some areas as much
as 50% or more of fir trees are
estimated to have died.
These “severe” die-offs oc-
curred in Central Oregon in
forests running from the Ore-
gon/California border north-
ward, according to survey
data.
Survey method
Surveys of forests were con-
ducted using a combination
of fixed-wing aircraft, heli-
copters, drones and satellite
imagery. The surveys were pri-
marily conducted, as they have
been for decades, using an
airplane flying 1,000 feet over
forested land.
DePinte and his team sur-
veyed forests on federal, state
and private lands, adding up
to a total of roughly 69 mil-
lion acres (over 100,000 square
miles) in Oregon and Wash-
ington. Small sections of Cal-
ifornia and Idaho, where na-
tional forests spill over the
state borders, were also sur-
veyed.
The Oregon Department of
Forestry and Washington De-
partment of Natural Resources
also participated in the effort.
Although fir die-offs have
been recorded as far back as
1952, when surveys began, this
year’s Firmageddon dwarfs all
previous records.
The USFS did not conduct
aerial surveys in 2020 due to
social-distancing rules around
COVID-19.
‘True firs’ impacted
Firmageddon appears to be
limited to so-called “true fir”
trees; trees in the genus Abies.
The Pacific Northwest’s
leading timber crop, Doug-
las-fir (Pseudotsuga menzie-
sii), is not in the genus Abies
and is not considered to be a
true fir.
Die-offs were recorded for
grand fir, white fir, red fir, no-
ble fir and the hybrid Shasta
red fir. The largest mortality
was observed at lower ele-
vations where grand fir and
white fir are plentiful. White
fir was the hardest hit species,
according to survey data.
Douglas-fir die-off
Although true firs are ex-
periencing their worst die-
off on record, Douglas-fir is
having a die-off of its own,
though on a comparatively
smaller scale.
The USFS survey estimates
that 450,000 acres (over 700
square miles) of Douglas-fir
have experienced some level
of mortality in Oregon, with
the majority of this occurring
in Southwestern Oregon.
Washington is also seeing
a die-off of Douglas-fir, with
roughly 230,000 acres (nearly
360 square miles) impacted.
The level of Douglas-fir die-
off within the areas affected
isn’t considered “severe.” The
USFS defines “severe” as 50%
or more of the trees within an
area having died.
However, the extent of the
die-off in terms of total area
is concerning, according to
DePinte.
“It (the Douglas-fir die-off)
is on the lighter side,” he said.
“The problem is the extent.
When you’re up in a plane
flying over and you see that it
goes on for the entire moun-
tainside, then it’s like, ‘Whoa,
that’s a huge amount of dead
trees.’”
What’s really unusual, ac-
cording to DePinte, is the in-
sects that are believed to be
causing the Douglas-fir die-
off are considered to be “sec-
ondary agendas.” The insects
have the ability to kill trees
that are already weakened
by drought or extreme heat
events, but generally can’t kill
the trees on their own.
“They can kill trees, but
they’re not ‘tree killers,’” De-
Pinte said.
The USFS will continue
monitoring the Douglas-fir
die-off and will study the is-
sue further with Oregon State
University researchers.
Although more analysis
is required, drought appears
to be weakening Douglas-fir
trees, making them suscep-
tible to insect and possibly
also fungal attack. This also
appears to be the mechanism
affecting true firs.
Insects and fungi
compound problems
“I think it’s sort of a ‘death
by a thousand cuts’ kind of
thing,” said Robbie Flowers, a
USFS etymologist, about the
likely cause of the fir die-off.
Firmageddon has not one
cause but multiple com-
pounding causes, according
to Flowers.
Flowers, who conducted
on-the-ground surveys of
tree mortality to, in effect,
“ground truth” the aerial sur-
vey data, says a clear relation-
ship between drought and fir
die-offs has been observed
historically — droughts tend
to lead to fir die-offs.
When drought occurs, says
Flowers, fir trees become sus-
ceptible to pests. The pests
implicated in Firmageddon
are the fir engraver beetle
(Scolytus ventralis), a type of
bark beetle, and multiple fun-
gal root diseases.
Various parasitic fungi
can make fir roots less able
to absorb water. This makes
the trees more susceptible to
drought conditions.
Firs with root disease are
also more susceptible to in-
sect attacks, especially from
the fir engraver beetle, which
gets its name because it bur-
rows and carves up the wa-
ter-rich cambium layer of a
tree just under the bark. The
fir tree’s only defense against
this attack in its cambium
layer is to flush the insects
out with pitch. But if drought
and root diseases make water
less available, the trees can’t
amount a defense.
As a consequence, Flowers
said, a large enough fir en-
graver infestation can effec-
tively “girdle” an already wa-
ter-stressed fir tree.
“The trees have a limited
amount of resources they can
put into defense and their de-
fenses go down then they get
into these stressful situations,”
he said.
Cover Images/Zuma Press-TNS
Mauna Loa eruption as viewed from Waikoloa. The world’s largest active volcano erupted in Hawaii erupted at 11:30 p.m. local time Sunday,
Nov. 27, for the first time in nearly four decades, the U.S. Geological Survey said.
Lava from Hawaii volcano lights
night sky amid precautions
BY CALEB JONES
Associated Press
KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii —
Waves of orange, glowing lava
and ash blasted and billowed
from the world’s largest active
volcano in its first eruption
in 38 years, and officials told
people living on Hawaii’s Big
Island to be ready in the event
of a worst-case scenario.
The eruption of Mauna
Loa wasn’t immediately en-
dangering towns, but the U.S.
Geological Survey warned the
roughly 200,000 people on
the Big Island that an erup-
tion “can be very dynamic,
and the location and advance
of lava flows can change rap-
idly.”
Officials told residents to
be ready to evacuate if lava
flows start heading toward
populated areas. Monday
night, Nov. 28, hundreds of
people lined a road as lava
flowed down the side of
Mauna Loa and fountained
into the air.
The eruption migrated
northeast throughout Mon-
day and spread out over the
side of the volcano, with sev-
eral distinct streams of lava
running down the hillside.
The eruption began late
Sunday night, Nov. 27, fol-
lowing a series of fairly large
earthquakes, said Ken Hon,
scientist-in-charge at the Ha-
waiian Volcano Observatory.
The areas where lava was
emerging — the volcano’s
summit crater and vents
along the volcano’s northeast
flank — are both far from
homes and communities.
Officials urged the public
to stay away from them, given
the dangers posed by lava,
which is shooting 100 to 200
feet into the air out of three
separate fissures roughly esti-
mated to be 1 to 2 miles long.
Volcanic gases wafting out
of the vents, primarily sulfur
dioxide, are also harmful.
Air quality on the Big Is-
land more generally is good
right now, but officials are
monitoring it carefully, said
Dr. Libby Char, the director
of the state Department of
Health.
Hon said air quality could
A time-lapse video of the
deteriorate while the erup-
eruption from overnight
tion lasts, which scientists ex- showed lava lighting up one
pect will be about one or two
area, moving across it like
weeks if the volcano follows
waves on the ocean.
historical patterns.
The U.S. Geological Sur-
Lifelong Big Island resident vey said the eruption had mi-
Bobby Camara, who lives in
grated to a rift zone on the
Volcano Village, said every-
volcano’s northeast flank. Rift
one across the island should
zones are where the mountain
keep track of the eruption.
rock is cracked and relatively
He said he’s seen three Mauna weak — making it easier for
Loa eruptions in his lifetime
magma to emerge.
and stressed the need for vig-
Lava could move toward the
ilance.
county seat of Hilo, but that
“I think everybody should
could take about a week, Hon
be a little bit concerned,” he
said at a news conference.
said. “We don’t
Scientists hope
“Volcanic gas the flow will paral-
know where the
flow is going, we
lel the 1984 erup-
and possibly
don’t know how
tion, where the
fine ash and
long it’s going to
lava was more vis-
last.”
and slowed
Pele’s hair may cous
Gunner Mench,
down.
be carried
who owns an art
Mauna Loa has
gallery in Kamu-
another
rift zone
downwind. So on its southwest
ela, said he awoke
shortly after mid-
certainly we
flank. Lava could
night and saw an
nearby com-
would ask those reach
alert on his phone
munities in hours
about the erup-
with respiratory or days if the vol-
tion.
erupts from
sensitivities to cano
Mench and his
this area. But Hon
wife, Ellie, ven-
take precautions said historically
tured out to film
Mauna Loa has
to minimize
the eerie red glow
never erupted from
cast over the is-
both rift zones si-
exposure.”
land, watching as
multaneously.
— Gov. David Ige
lava spilled down
“So we presume
the volcano’s side.
at this point that all
“You could see
of the future activ-
it spurting up into the air,
ity is going to be on the north-
over the edge of this depres-
east rift zone of Mauna Loa
sion,” Mench said.
and not on the southeast rift
“Right now it’s just enter-
zone,” he said. “So those resi-
tainment, but the concern is”
dents in that area do not have
it could reach populated ar-
to worry about lava flows.”
eas, he said.
Hawaii County Civil De-
Seeing Mauna Loa erupt
fense announced it had opened
is a new experience for many
shelters because it had reports
residents of the Big Island,
of people evacuating from
where the population has
along the coast on their own
more than doubled from
initiative.
92,000 in 1980.
The USGS warned residents
More than a third of the is- who could be threatened by
land’s residents live either in
the lava flows to review their
the city of Kailua-Kona to the eruption preparations. Scien-
west of the volcano, or about
tists had been on alert because
23,000 people, and Hilo to the of a recent spike in earthquakes
east, with about 45,000. Offi-
at the summit of the volcano,
cials were most worried about which last erupted in 1984.
several subdivisions some 30
Portions of the Big Island
miles to the volcano’s south
were under an ashfall advisory
that are home to about 5,000
issued by the National Weather
people.
Service in Honolulu. It said up
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EVEN AT PEAK TIMES.
to a quarter-inch of ash could
accumulate in some areas.
“Volcanic gas and possibly
fine ash and Pele’s hair may be
carried downwind,” Gov. David
Ige said, referring to glass fibers
that form when hot lava erupts
from a fissure and rapidly cools
in the air. The wind stretches
the fibers into long strands that
look like hair. “So certainly we
would ask those with respira-
tory sensitivities to take precau-
tions to minimize exposure.”
Mauna Loa is one of five vol-
canoes that together make up
the Big Island of Hawaii, the
southernmost island in the Ha-
waiian archipelago.
Mauna Loa, rising 13,679
feet above sea level, is the
much larger neighbor of
Kilauea, which erupted in a
residential neighborhood and
destroyed 700 homes in 2018.
Some of Mauna Loa’s slopes are
much steeper than Kilauea’s, so
lava can flow much faster when
it erupts.
During a 1950 eruption,
the mountain’s lava traveled
15 miles to the ocean in under
three hours.
Mauna Loa’s volume is es-
timated at least 18,000 square
miles, making it the world’s
largest volcano when measured
from the ocean floor its sum-
mit.
Tourism is Hawaii’s eco-
nomic engine but Big Island
Mayor Mitch Roth predicted
few problems for those vaca-
tioning during the eruption.
“It will be spectacular where
it is, but the chances of it really
interrupting the visitor industry
— very, very slim,” he said.
Tourism officials said no one
should have to change Big Is-
land travel plans.
For some, the eruption might
cut down on some travel time,
even if there is more volcanic
smog caused by higher sul-
fur-dioxide emissions.
“But the good thing is you
don’t have to drive from Kona
over to Hawaii Volcanoes Na-
tional Park to see an eruption
anymore,” Roth said. “You
can just look out your win-
dow at night and you’ll be
able to see Mauna Loa
erupting.”
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