"Sierra Nevada Pine Tree Die-Off Worsens as Beetles Thrive in Drought"

"PINEHURST, Calif. — A massive die-off of pine trees in the southern Sierra Nevada caused by beetles attacking drought-stressed trees is turning forests brown and creating a fire tinderbox.

From El Portal in Mariposa County to Kernville in Kern County and beyond, stands of dead trees are striking fear in the hearts of mountain residents.

'You drive around and it’s all around us,' said Lee Duncan, who lives in Miramonte in Fresno County near Pinehurst. 'It’s like a gasoline can everywhere.'

About the only hope in halting the die-off is for the drought to end, an unlikely occurrence this year as winter ended with perhaps the lowest Sierra snowpack on record."

Lewis Griswold reports for the Fresno Bee March 22, 2015.

SEE ALSO:

"Climate Change Threatens to Kill Off More Aspen Forests by 2050s, Scientists Say" (New York Times)