The Forest Alert project of the Center for Ecological Research and Forest Applications (Creaf) has verified that the pines of Catalonia are showing the effects of the drought a year late and that they are dying “suddenly”, especially in some regions of Barcelona. In a statement on Wednesday, it is stated that in the face of a severe drought, conifers such as pines or firs resist adverse conditions as much as possible, but “some suffer in a silent way that can last for months and that can take them to death in a matter of a few days.
This phenomenon is the one that is being observed in areas such as the regions of Osona or Berguedà (Barcelona) this summer, “where many pine tree tops are being seen to turn completely brown in a short time and suddenly.” The researchers have pointed out that “when this happens, the pines are dead, they do not have the ability to regrow and do not have any green leaves that allow them to maintain vital functions”, and this phenomenon can occur months, or even years, after having finished a period of drought. “This explains why, despite the fact that this spring has been more or less rainy in many areas, we have seen how pines with brown crowns appear, especially in areas of Osona and Berguedà: they are pines that are dying due to the drought of the last summer”, they have insisted.
According to the DeBosCat 2022 report, the monitoring network for the health status of Catalonia’s forests, 2022 was the year with the most recorded forests affected by drought: of a total of 33,072 hectares of forest with signs of suffering from drought and extreme heat, 5,993 hectares were coniferous. The researchers state that, taking into account that conifers are affected by drought with a certain delay, “it is possible that this data is an underestimation of the conifers that have actually been affected by this prolonged lack of water.”
Time will tell what effects the drought of recent months has had on this type of vegetation. A situation of water scarcity that improved at the beginning of the month after the intense and repeated rains in June, which in a few hours accumulated up to 100 liters per square meter. The increase in water reserves caused the Government to improve its forecasts and decide to postpone the emergency scenario until beyond the summer, based on water consumption and rainfall this summer. The state of exceptionality that was declared in March, when the water reserves dropped to 25%, is long gone.
You can follow EL PAÍS Catalunya at Facebook and Twitteror sign up here to receive our weekly newsletter
What affects the most is what happens closer. To not miss anything, subscribe.
subscribe
#sudden #death #pine #trees #Catalonia #alarms #experts