Drought tightening grip on nation's forests, rangelands

Drought tightening grip on nation's forests, rangelands

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SALT LAKE CITY — In the second century, data shows a drought lasted 51 years in the West, stretching from southern New Mexico up through Utah and on into Idaho.

More enduring than that was the drought that happened in the Great Basin region extending to the shores of the Great Salt Lake, the one that happened in present time — or in the last 10,000 years — and lasted not 100 years, 500 years or even 700 years.

It dragged on for 950 years.

The occurrences of drought, their impacts on trees, vegetation and more recently their socio-economic effects are explored by 77 scientists in a just released analysis of existing peer-reviewed scientific research.

"Effects of Drought on Forests and Rangelands in the United States: A Comprehensive Science Synthesis," was released by the U.S. Forest Service this week, showcasing a baseline of the available data that can be used by land managers, policymakers and others to craft strategies to deal with the droughts of this century.

"Our forests and rangelands are national treasures, and because they are threatened, we are threatened," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. "This report confirms what we are seeing, that every region of the country is impacted by the direct and indirect effects of drought conditions and volatile weather patterns. About 60 million Americans rely on drinking water that originates on our 193 million acres of national forest and grasslands. They support 200,000 jobs and contribute over $13 billion to local economies every year."

The report points out that national forests are the single largest source of fresh water in the country, accounting for 14 percent of all runoff. More than 900 cities, including Salt Lake City, derive a portion of their water supply from national forestlands.

"The important piece for water supply in most of the West is the snowpack," said Charles Luce, a research hydrologist with the Forest Service's Rocky Mountain Research Station in Boise who was among four editors of the 302-page report.

"Snowpacks are melted earlier and do not accumulate as deeply. There is a little less snowfall and it melts a little faster," he said.

Predictions from some scientists show that the warming climate brings significant drying in the winter and spring months in monsoonal regions of North America that include parts of Utah, such as the southern end of the state.

The vulnerability of water supplies is also exemplified in the Colorado River Basin states, and according to the report, underscores why good climate records are so important.

"The southwestern United States is an example of where understanding long-term climate dynamics is crucial for sustainable management of environmental resources," the report said. "Both an early and recent updated reconstruction of streamflow in the Colorado River Basin indicate that water management agreements were developed during one of the wettest periods of the last 500 years."

Drought hit much of the country in 2012 and has hung on the West ever since. In California — which has the seventh largest economy in the world — the state weathered more than $2.2 billion in drought-related costs last year and imposed a mandatory 25 percent reduction in water consumption.

Even though a line of recent storms have propped up Sierra Nevada snowpack to an above-average amount, the impacts of the long-term drought such as depleted groundwater and shrunken reservoirs aren't easily fixed in one season. Utah, which is entering its fifth year of drought, is enjoying average snowpack in the north and above average snowpack in the south, but it remains to be seen how the rest of the winter will play out and an early melt could amplify drought conditions.

The report points to the bevy of effects from prolonged drought:

• Reduced timber volume

• Reduced water quality

• Higher wildfire activity

• Reduced vegetation for livestock and wildlife

• Increased air pollution from wind-blown dust and wildfires

Last year, U.S. wildfires set a new record, according to the Forest Service, burning 10.1 million acres, scorching 4,500 homes and structures and killing 13 firefighters.

Wildfire suppression costs on average close to $3 billion a year, the agency said.

Luce pointed out it could get worse before it gets better, because how drought impacts forests is expected to change in the future, and those drying conditions will be more lethal for trees.

"The difference there is that some of those droughts of the past were a bit cooler than they are now," he said.

Over the years increasing water scarcity has prompted farmers to adopt water saving strategies, the report notes. While 71 percent of irrigation in the West was done with inefficient gravity-fed furrows or flood irrigation in 1984, by 2008 that number had fallen to 48 percent.

Household consumption has also fallen, but the report acknowledges the political and consumer pitfalls that prevent public water providers from charging for the true cost of water and the societal impression created when conservation strategies are invoked by water providers.

"As long as municipal water prices lie below the true cost of supply, there will always be a perceived shortage among the 86 percent of U.S. households that get their water from municipal water companies," the report notes.

The report points out the gaps of information that exist in the scientific community related to drought, including the need for enhanced modeling predicting the timing of prolonged episodes, a better understanding of the indirect effects and a more comprehensive knowledge base of how precipitation and temperature play a role in drought-induced bark beetle infestations.

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Amy Joi O'Donoghue

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