Dying Trees in The Central Valley

By: Areli Tovar

For many years, California has suffered from an ongoing drought, and it is affecting hundreds of trees in the Central Valley.

Many climate scientists say there is strong evidence to support a connection between climate change and recent drought conditions caused by warmer temperatures.

The drought conditions are blamed for killing more than 147 million trees in California alone including millions in the Sequoia National Forest.

If you drive up into the foothills, you will see thousands of brown, lifeless trees. Some trees lay dead on the side of the road, and many still stand, dead.

The drought causes stress to the trees, making them vulnerable to insect infestation. The trees then become weak offering the perfect niche for many insects, especially the bark beetle. Once infested, the trees can no longer survive. 

It’s difficult to save the dying trees, but there is a team in Fresno that is working to replace the dead trees by adding new trees to the valley.

Tree Fresno, along with hundreds of volunteers, hosts tree planting events all around the San Joaquin Valley.

“We plant at schools, we plant along streets, we work with cities, counties. We work with individual property owners and families. So we want to put trees everywhere, and we will coordinate more and more volunteer events to allow people to be a part of that,” said Mona Cummings, CEO of Tree Fresno.

A recent tree planting took place at Fresno State, which added over 300 new trees to the campus. Tree Fresno experts love doing this for the environment, but especially for the learning experience that children receive.

“Teaching them just about root balls and cutting the roots or proper technique on how not to bury the tree too deep. Those are all things that are really important,” said John Clawson, a tree technician at Tree Fresno.

To ensure the trees are planted properly, Tree Fresno experts walk along with volunteers, helping them along the way. The new trees planted at Fresno State will soon change the appearance of the campus. 

“In a few years, it grows about maybe two or three feet per year, so it will change the look of this area in a few years,” said Mark Yhnell, a tree technician at Tree Fresno. 

The trees are expected to grow big and live for many years, like other trees on campus.