One of the concepts of climate change we've had to learn is the "thirsty atmosphere." Simply put, a warmer world means the atmosphere is capable of taking up more water than it used to, like a drier sponge.
It leads to events like the 60 inches of rain that fell on parts of Texas in Hurricane Harvey. And in our part of the world, it means the atmosphere sucks up needed moisture from trees and other plants.
Oregon State University research shows that the drier air may have a greater effect on Douglas fir trees than lack of rain. Karla Jarecke, a postdoctoral researcher in the OSU College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences, led the research and talks about the findings.