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The Forum > Article Comments > What’s killing the great forests of the American West? > Comments

What’s killing the great forests of the American West? : Comments

By Jim Robbins, published 31/3/2010

Huge tracts of forest are dying off at an extraordinary rate, mostly because of outbreaks of insects linked to climate change.

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Anthropogenic climate change? Maybe.

Anthropogenic repair? I don't think so (Dopenhagen anyone?)

Sell the car by all means but we're just gonna have to ride this out.
Posted by hugoagogo, Wednesday, 31 March 2010 10:18:52 AM
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The climate changes to date are supposed to have caused these vast changes in American forests? Pardon me, but pigs rear end. The major change is arguable about half a degree on average since the mid-70s. But that's global. Its known that the US temperature experience is different in that the 30s was at least as warm as now.
In addition, you will note from the article that the author is not claiming the beetles are the direct result of climate change but that the change has increased their range. But that issue is also greatly complicated by land use changes.
Note this passage: "In addition, the past suppression of fire and the fact that many Western trees are reaching the age at which beetles target them - 80 to 100 years - are also factors in the widespread loss of forests."
Quite so, people have proved to be nuisance by their insistance on putting out forest fires - fires that would have ravaged the author's beloved forests and greatly reduce the incidence of beetle infestation. Added to that is a throw away comment on the Amazon forest which would seem to be wrong. Again the author would have been better employed examining changing land use patterns in the Amazon, particularly the habits of indigenous farmers, and forests regrowth, rather than worrying over small climate changes in an area that's already close to the equator.
Posted by Curmudgeon, Wednesday, 31 March 2010 10:24:27 AM
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Curmudgeon.
You put that very well.
Posted by phoenix94, Wednesday, 31 March 2010 12:33:03 PM
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Er, Curmudgeon ... last time I looked - Alaska, Canada and the 'north west' weren't that "close to the equator".

And really, rather than lump it on the author of this article, why not just drive the stake into the real messengers - the scientists that conducted the actual research? [Text deleted for abuse.]
Posted by qanda, Wednesday, 31 March 2010 3:37:57 PM
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I have been waiting for this to be bought up lol.
In the 1970's the story was native forest die back all the trees are dying there will be none left blah blah blah.
Same time the Amazon rain forest was gone by the turn of the last century.
Guess what, reduced probably but all gone no! Of course They had to say that so we would buy the authors new book sorry I mean get really frightened.
What a joke, when is someone going to tell me when the Australian forest is going? Except for the million acres burned by fires this century. Caused by Greenie thinking they know how to run things. This makes me sick.
Posted by JBowyer, Wednesday, 31 March 2010 4:08:21 PM
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Lots of generalisations but no specific proof.Huge tracts of Aussie bush dying off? I have seen no such evidence except for the Red River Gums dying for too much salt due to irrigation.Our bush regenerates very quickly.

The Crown of Thorns Starfish was going to obliterate the GBR.Not mentioned today.We need a better scare.
Posted by Arjay, Wednesday, 31 March 2010 7:33:33 PM
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