Abstract
Droughts in the western United States are predicted to become hotter, drier, and more frequent. These severe droughts will have dramatic effects on forests and woodlands, especially in semi-arid regions. We documented widespread die-off of pinyon pine throughout central Nevada, associated with severe drought from 2013 to 2015. Even as land management agencies seek to reduce pinyon-juniper woodland cover and extent through aggressive tree removal treatments, severe droughts are causing Great Basin woodlands to decline in density and area. They are on a trajectory toward increased dominance of the drought-tolerant Utah juniper and range shifts to higher elevations and less xeric microsites. Photo credit: Sam Flake. Photo credit: Peter Weisberg. Photo credits: Sam Flake (a, c, f, g) and Peter Weisberg (b, d, e). Photo credit: Peter Weisberg. These photographs illustrate the article “Fine-scale stand structure mediates drought-induced tree mortality in pinyon-juniper woodlands” by Samuel W. Flake and Peter J. Weisberg published in Ecological Applications. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.1831
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