Heat Wave Impacts & Closure
The Klickitat River haul road is currently closed to public access due to high fire danger
It's getting hot out there! With the recent record breaking heat in the Pacific Northwest, we are learning in real time how local vegetation responds to such extreme conditions. According to a study being run by the United States Forest Service, Oregon Department of Forestry and Oregon State University, "Following two years of drought, many areas of the Pacific Northwest experienced unprecedented air temperatures in late June and early July. This led to numerous reports of foliage scorch and leaf drop in westside forests of the Oregon coast range and the Cascades mountain range. Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) and Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) seem to have been the most impacted tree species, but Douglas Fir (Pseutotsuga menziesii) and various alder and maple species were also affected. We do not know what the near- and long-term physiological causes and consequences of foliage scorch and heat stress will be, at either leaf or tree scales."
Also due to the current hot and dry conditions, the Klickitat River haul road, managed by Columbia Land Trust, is currently closed to public access to protect natural resources and public safety. See closure details.
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