OLYMPIA – Washington’s forests continue to face an array of challenges brought on by an increasingly dry climate and the consequences of past forest management practices, according to the latest Forest Health Highlights report compiled by scientists with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
Forest lands endured stressors like ongoing drought conditions and an historic fire season, forcing scientists with the DNR to adapt like never before. Restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic grounded the interagency aerial survey conducted by DNR and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service for the first time since 1947.
“The Forest Health Highlights report is an annual reminder of the crisis our state forests face due to drought, disease and insect damage,” said Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz, who leads DNR. “Forests in poor health are more susceptible to catastrophic wildfires that threaten our communities and place our heroic firefighters at greater risk each summer. The information gathered by our scientists informs our implementation of DNR’s 20-Year Forest Health Strategic Plan and will help drive the groundbreaking investments in forest health made possible by House Bill 1168.”
DNR scientists used a combination of high-resolution satellite images, orthophoto imagery and ground surveys to cover about half of the normal 22 million acres of forestlands observed by the annual aerial survey. Prioritization of areas with elevated risk, recent damage and the availability of satellite images led to about 80 percent of the surveys taking place in eastern Washington. Observers drove more than 3,500 miles over several weeks to conduct the ground sampling.
“One of our most important tasks each year is to monitor the health of Washington forests,” DNR Forest Entomologist Glenn Kohler said. “Our forest scientists rose to the challenges presented by COVID-19, put forth the extra effort to collect data across thousands of square miles and will use the Forest Health Highlights report to guide their work for the coming year.”
Unlike in prior years, the 2020 Forest Health Highlights report does not include summaries of acres affected by specific damage agents due to the reduced survey area and pandemic-caused changes to survey methods. Highlights of recent trends and damage locations contained within the report include:
The Forest Health Highlights report informs scientists and forestland owners across the state of new and ongoing trends across the state. Wildfire management teams also use the report to identify areas with concentrated fuels and hazardous trees.
“The health of Washington forests not only impacts our own quality of life, but the health of our environment, our local economies and our wildlife,” said Washington State Forester George Geissler, who oversees the Forest Health and Resiliency Division of DNR. “That is why it is so important that we monitor our forests and help them combat the existential threats they face.”
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