Image of the Day: Tall Trees Tell Telling Tale

Published: February 19th, 2012

The coastal Pacific Northwest of the U.S. has the tallest trees in North America, averaging as much as 131 feet in height. It has the densest biomass — the total mass of organisms living within a given area — in the country. But for centuries, it also has been a much-tapped resource for lumber; land-clearing for agriculture and development have also trimmed the woodlands. Both the lumber companies and forest managers have an interest in measuring the health of these forests. The image shows Washington state and a sliver of Oregon in fine scale (the image is roughly 12.5 miles wide), which allows researchers to see the regular patterns of logging and development, and the more erratic shape of areas lost to fires and pests.

Credit: NASA

Posted in Climate, Flora & Fauna, Landscapes, United States, Pacific Northwest

Comments

By Andrew Patrick (Ottawa, ON, Canada)
on February 19th, 2012

This is a total travesty. I’ve driven down the 101 from Victoria, BC through clearcut on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington and it seems to go on forever. In BC, they tend to hide it from folks driving on the highway, yet rest assured, it’s been looted; you can look on Google maps satellite view over these areas and see how extensive this is. It’s shocking, especially considering what used to be there. The biggest Sitka spruce is in Washington on the Peninsula and it literally backs on to a golf course! The beauty of these ecosystems is something to be treasured. See Ancient Forest Alliance for more on efforts in BC. http://www.ancientforestalliance.org/

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