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News Release 05-182
Heat and Drought Kills Trees in Southwest
Study sheds light on how quickly vegetation may respond to climate change
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These photos show the massive die-off of pinyon pines that occurred during a recent drought. By October 2002, pinyons, normally evergreen, had reddish-brown foliage (left). By May 2004, the dead pinyons had lost all their needles, exposing their gray trunks. The photos were taken from the same vantage point in the Jemez Mountains near Los Alamos, N.M.
Credit: D. Allen, U.S. Geological Survey
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Pinyon trees throughout the Southwestern United States suffered a die-off after a long period of higher atmospheric temperatures and drought. This healthy one is located in the Joshua Tree National Park in Calif.
Credit: U.S. Geological Survey
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