1. Home
 / Modified aug 22, 2018 3:01 p.m.

Episode 144: Drought-Induced Tree Die-Offs and Climate Change

The dangerous cycle of large-scale tree die-offs contributes to climate change.

AZSCI 144 Tree Death The frequency of large-scale tree die-offs inhibits their fight against climate change.
High Contrast, CC 3.0

University of Arizona researcher David Breshears has been investigating the frequency of large-scale tree die-offs. He says when forests fall victim to drought, they take longer to recover. When trees take longer to recover, they are slower to perform their function of storing carbon, inhibiting the fight against climate change. Hotter conditions induce more drought, causing new tree die-offs and the cycle begins again.

Prof. Breshears teaches in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment. He was interviewed for Arizona Science by Leslie Tolbert, Ph.D, Regents' Professor Emerita in Neuroscience at the University of Arizona.

Arizona Science
Catch Arizona Science each Friday during Science Friday on NPR 89.1. You can subscribe to our podcast on Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music, or the NPR App. See more from Arizona Science.
MORE: Arizona Science, Climate Change
By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona