If you’ve been out in the woods in this area lately, you may have noticed an increase in dead and dying Douglas-fir trees. Since 2016, aerial survey data show that there has been a huge uptick in Douglas-fir mortality in southern Oregon. What’s going on? And why do some areas seem to have more dieback than others? As you might expect, drought is involved, and bugs, but the full picture is more complicated. This presentation will review probable causes of local and regional Douglas-fir decline, how to assess mortality risk on individual sites, and options for managing areas where Douglas-fir dieback is an issue now or is likely to become one in the future.

Speaker Max Bennett, Director of OSU Extension, Forestry & Natural Resources, has served as an Extension Forester in southern Oregon for more than 20 years, with a focus on forest health, wildfire, and small woodlands management. Over the past year, he has worked on a research project exploring the causes and spatial patterns of DF mortality in the Klamath Mountains ecoregion.

The presentation is free and virtual. To register, visit https://extension.oregonstate.edu/sorec/events/douglas-fir-trouble-presented-max-bennett.