Nov022009
Martha’s Vineyard oak die-off - a sign of things to come?
Filed under Greenhouse gas by david brooks at 8:05 am
Monday mornings are never exactly uplifting, so let’s add this depressing tale: The Globe writes about roughly 500 acres of oaks on Martha’s Vineyard that died off due to insect blight and drought, and quotes researchers fearful that it’s a sign of things to come:
Scientists predict that in a warming world, insects will thrive, and droughts and other extreme weather will become commonplace. With the prospect of more numerous bugs feasting on weakened trees, (David Foster, a Harvard University ecologist) wonders whether the recent die-off is a harbinger of more catastrophic ones in the future.
Personally I don’t mind losing oaks, which make lousy leaf-peeping trees, but the wildlife that depends on their acorns to prepare for winter might disagree.
For years I’ve been writing about the sad fact that climate change is likely to make our climate more like the South (heck, it’ll even change our soil). It’s still shocking to see it happening.
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