Large, Old Trees Are Dying All Over The World

In case you missed it, I wrote about the massacre in Newtown, Connecticut on Saturday morning in Rambo Versus The Kindergarten — Dave

---

The world's large old trees are dying according to researchers whose report appeared in the journal Science last week. There has been an alarming increase in death rates among trees 100-300 years old according to the Science Daily report on that research. The report explains the importance of big, old trees in ecosystem health.

Dec. 6, 2012 — The largest living organisms on the planet, the big, old trees that harbour and sustain countless birds and other wildlife, are dying.

A report by three of the world's leading ecologists in today's issue of the journal Science warns of an alarming increase in deathrates among trees 100-300 years old in many of the world's forests, woodlands, savannahs, farming areas and even in cities.

"It's a worldwide problem and appears to be happening in most types of forest," says lead author Professor David Lindenmayer of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions (CEED) and Australian National University.

"Large old trees are critical in many natural and human-dominated environments. Studies of ecosystems around the world suggest populations of these trees are declining rapidly," he and colleagues Professor Bill Laurance of James Cook University, Australia, and Professor Jerry Franklin of Washington University, USA, say in their Science report...

Prof. Lindenmayer says they were first tipped off to the loss of big old trees while examining Swedish forestry records going back to the 1860s. Then a 30-year study of Mountain Ash (Eucalyptus regnans) forest in Australia confirmed not only that big old trees were dying en masse in forest fires, but also perishing at ten times the normal rate in non-fire years — apparently due to drought, high temperatures, logging and other causes.

Looking round the world, the scientists found similar trends at all latitudes, in California's Yosemite National Park, on the African savannahs, in the rainforests of Brazil, the temperate forests of Europe and the boreal forests of the far north. Losses of large trees were also pronounced in agricultural landscapes and even cities, where people make efforts to preserve them.

"It is a very, very disturbing trend. We are talking about the loss of the biggest living organisms on the planet, of the largest flowering plants on the planet, of organisms that play a key role in regulating and enriching our world," says Professor Bill Laurance of James Cook University.

"Large old trees play critical ecological roles. They provide nesting or sheltering cavities for up to 30% of all birds and animals in some ecosystems. They store huge amounts of carbon. They recycle soil nutrients, create rich patches for other life to thrive in, and influence the flow of water within landscapes and the local climate.

"Big trees supply abundant food for numerous animals in the form of fruits, flowers, foliage and nectar. Their hollows offer nests and shelter for birds and animals like Australia's endangered Leadbeater's Possum (Gymnobelideus leadbeateri) — and their loss could mean extinction for such creatures.

"In agricultural landscapes, large old trees can be focal points for vegetation restoration; they help connect the landscape by acting as stepping stones for many animals that disperse seeds and pollen," he says.

The alarming decline in old trees in so many types of forest appears to be driven by a combination of forces, including land clearing, agricultural practices, man-made changes in fire regimes, logging and timber gathering, insect attack and rapid climatic changes, says Prof. Jerry Franklin.

"For example, populations of large old pines in the dry forests of western North America declined dramatically over the last century because of selective logging, uncharacteristically severe wildfires, and other causes," he adds.

The researchers liken the global loss of big trees to the tragedy that has already befallen the world's largest mammals, such as elephants, rhinos, tigers and whales, cautioning that almost nowhere do conservation programs have the time-frames lasting centuries, which are needed to assure the survival of old trees.

Thus we have yet another sign of an incipient mass extinction on the Earth brought about by an overabundance of humans on its surface. We have been down this road many times before. The warning signs are unmistakable, but humans do not heed them. As usual, the researchers believe the answer to saving large, old trees is more research.

"Research is urgently needed to identify the causes of rapid losses of large old trees and strategies for improved management. Without … policy changes, large old trees will diminish or disappear in many ecosystems, leading to losses of their associated biota and ecosystem functions."

This is sad. These scientists could do research until they're blue in the face, but without enforceable policy changes, nothing will happen. In so far as policy (in the general "growth" case) is necessarily a direct reflection of human desires, additional research is irrelevant if it supports policies which run contrary to those desires. But scientists must believe that their work makes a difference, although it does not.

My heart is not in this today. Let's play some music. Vince Guaraldi's Christmastime Is Here.

 

Comments

[Frank Furcsa]

Grandmothers die and so do " large old trees ".... always did always will

[Brett]

In fitting with the whole school shooting, mental health motif...

What do you think a shrink would say if they came across this blog? That you were depressed? Same for most of the commenters, ya? I expect you'd have a middle finger waiting for such analysis, and said shrink would feel even more correct in their analysis, ya?

So if mental health by today's definition is just "fitting in" to a sick society, then how can one, as a social creature, actually be mentally healthy without escapism or distraction or drugs to kick start them?

I've wondered this a long time, and I regret pissing you off with flamboyant stupidity if that is the reaction I provoke.

[Dave Cohen]

Don't worry about it, Brett.

if mental health by today's definition is just "fitting in" to a sick society...

That's what mental health is usually taken to be.

-- Dave

[Dave Cohen]

Re: Grandmothers die and so do " large old trees ".... always did always will

Why don't one of you readers -- not me -- explain to Frank why his statement demonstrates his near total incomprehension of the scientific result I reported on today.

-- Dave

[Andy]

This website fingers tropospheric ozone as the culprit. http://witsendnj.blogspot.com/ Her observations match what I am seeing in western new york. It's not just the old growth.

[don]

Re: Grandmothers die and so do " large old trees ".... always did always will

The loss of large trees on the scale as described in the article did not just fall over dying of old age but from having been cut down, as clearly pointed out in the article.

The Forest Service used to refer to old growth trees as decadent old growth, thus needing to be logged to encourage healthy young trees. After years of law suits lost by the agency it was all too clear that loss of old growth also meant loss of old growth dependent species, like spotted owls. I know for a fact that Jerry Franklin would concur, having hiked forests with him discussing the issue.

As for the re-generation of old growth forests, no doubt policy changes would need to be implemented. Doing so, as with all other issues needing policy change, will require that the groundswell of public pressure demanding said change needs to be felt. Perhaps this might someday happen, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Remi]

Frank,
It is the relative age that the trees are dying and that it is not a natural way for them to go. They would grow older. If a gunman were to go and shoot a bunch of 65 year olds, would you brush it off and say that old people die all the time and always will?

[Brian]

The root cause of grandmothers dying is not, as far as I can tell, the destruction of their life-supporting habitat by humans. Of course, if we continue to behave in this cavalier way towards virtually all other life forms, eventually, our behavior will be the root cause of grandmothers dying as well.

In a nutshell, I believe that is more or less the point Dave is trying to make. Dave, feel free to correct me if I have it wildly wrong.

[Alexander Ač]

Dave,

I already figured out that my research does NOT make a tiniest change in policy. Thus, I am slowly but surely giving up on such research. Other scientists MUST believe otherwise, or they will stop too...

Alex

[Mike Roberts]

Frank, did you actually READ today's post?

[Frank Furcsa]

C`mon there is one ongoing catastrophic deforestation going on everywhere the amazon basin the Canadian boreal forest the siberian all those rainforest in indonesia and surroundings do these few older trees really matter ?? Do you think if you save those all be well ???<<

[Frank Furcsa]

it seem half of my latest post dissapeared sorry i cant rewrite it

[Surfzombo13]

Hey, Dave, I just want let you know I'm posting links to your blogs on my FB page. Thanks for do the good work that you do. I'm doing my best to get you and others with a similar POV the wider audience you should be getting.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Folly-of-Man/114692881915887?ref=hl#