![]() These findings will likely change the way foresters manage bigleaf maple in both urban and wild settings. “This helped us determine that their decline is a recent phenomenon that is linked to weather conditions.” “For us, these analyses were a big piece of the puzzle,” Tobin said. ![]() They compared this growth to that of Douglas fir trees, which they also cored, and found their annual growth was consistent - meaning that bigleaf maple are especially sensitive to dry, hot weather. Jacob Betzen/University of Washingtonįrom the analysis of the tree cores, the team found that the growth of bigleaf maple has varied significantly since 2011, and was especially lower in years with hotter, drier summers. Processed tree cores used in analyses to estimate the timing of decline in bigleaf maple trees. Tree cores allow scientists to learn about the age and growth rate of a tree - as well as weather history at that location - without having to cut it down. Across these randomly chosen sites, they found that nearly a quarter of the bigleaf maple trees showed signs of decline.įrom each study site, they collected soil, leaves, stems and tree cores, which they analyzed in the lab. Finally, they randomly selected an additional 59 sites on public land across the region where bigleaf maple are known to exist. They also chose 36 roadside sites where maples were present. Researchers found this was this case in a recent sudden outbreak of powdery mildew on the leaves of bigleaf maple trees on the University of Washington campus.įor this study, the research team revisited a selection of sites around Western Washington where DNR in 20 had taken samples and performed testing on trees in decline. Related: When trees are stressed, they can succumb to diseases that normally wouldn’t bother them. “This research investigating bigleaf maple is one small piece of that larger puzzle.” Forest Service who completed this work as a UW graduate student. “Managing, protecting and utilizing our urban and wild ecosystems in the face of climate change and human population growth is and will continue to be one of the major challenges facing us,” said lead author Jacob Betzen, a biological technician with the U.S. Across multiple years and sites in Western Washington, they weren’t able to find any single pest or pathogen responsible for the mass decline rather, all signs point to climate change and human development as the drivers behind the regional die-off. In addition to warmer, drier weather, the researchers found that bigleaf maple are more likely to decline near roads and other development - especially in hotter urban areas. “These trees can tolerate a lot, but once you start throwing in other factors, particularly severe summer drought as in recent years, it stresses the trees and can lead to their death,” said co-author Patrick Tobin, associate professor in the UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences. 16 in the journal Forest Ecology and Management. These conditions essentially weaken the tree’s immune system, making it easier to succumb to other stressors and diseases. Washington Department of Natural ResourcesĪ new study led by the University of Washington, in collaboration with Washington Department of Natural Resources, has found that bigleaf maple die-off in Washington is linked to hotter, drier summers that predispose this species to decline. ![]() ![]() A bigleaf maple tree that has nearly died in Washington.
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