Huge patches of forest in Tasmania have rapidly turned brown over recent months, with many trees dying after a dry summer. But what this signals for forests in the future as the climate continues to warm is unclear.
From February to the end of April, parts of the state received the lowest rainfall since records began. Hobart just endured the third-driest summer on record.
“This is putting amazing stress on our trees,” The Tree Projects lead researcher Jen Sanger told ABC Radio Hobart’s Kylie Baxter.
The extensive sudden tree death in Tasmania is the result of a phenomenon called dieback.
Dieback can be caused by stress due to fungus or other diseases, but in this case it has been driven by drought, Dr Sanger said.
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