Drought, climate change killing California’s forests at alarming rate, federal report says

Over 36 million trees died across 2.6 million acres of California’s federal, state and private lands in 2022 alone, a report released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service reveals.

Higher temperatures and prolonged drought conditions have brought about a myriad of issues that are causing more trees to die faster, including lower water levels, crowded forest conditions, insect outbreaks and disease. But mortality rate and severity, as well as the number of acres affected, has significantly increased compared to years prior, forestry officials said this week.