Calling what's happening to fir trees in our region "firmageddon" might be a bit dramatic, but it's not far from the truth. By one report, more Douglas fir trees have died in Southern Oregon in the last four year than died in the previous four DECADES.
The Bureau of Land Management is drawing up plans to remove at least some dead Doug firs, both to reduce fire fuels and to reduce hazards near roadsides and other areas. Comments are being taken until early January. We visit with Jena Volpe, Fire Ecologist of the BLM Medford District office, to get a fuller picture of the Doug fir destruction and the response to it.
Link: Jena mentioned the recently published research from Oregon State University on the fir situation.