Dead Ponderosa (IMAGE)

Princeton University

Dead Ponderosa

Caption

A dead ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) stands near the Grand Canyon in Arizona June 2014. The western United States has been a hotspot for die-offs in recent years, with forests facing danger in Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Texas and California. Although rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere can benefit tree growth, the rising temperatures associated with climate change can trigger droughts that kill trees, which dampens CO2 removal from the atmosphere.

Credit

Photo by William Anderegg, Princeton Environmental Institute

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