Richard James
ISS 355
Prof Minarchek
Lesson 10A
Deforestation
Living in Seattle, Washington, I have spent my entire life in awe of our wonderful maritime evergreen forests. With the abundant Douglas Fir trees dominating the landscapes, combined with myriads of other flora and fauna, its beauty and serenity provided an escape from the challenges of adolescence. This wonderful social-ecosystem is the sole reason I have refused to relocate my family to some other locale within the United States, despite many lucrative opportunities to do so. Sadly, from increases in local human population and urbanization, to climate change and to increases in global CO2 emissions, the maritime evergreen forests which define the region, are gradually slipping away.
The natural landscape of the Puget Sound Region has seen significant increases in urbanization. The population of the region currently sits at approximately 4.5 million people (see Figure 1) and with an average annual growth rate of 60,000 people per year, it is expected to reach over 6 million people by 2050. This sees negative effects on hydrologic systems and territorial habitat, and increases in storm runoff through the addition of impervious surfaces. Ecologically, these stressors and contaminants significantly affect aquatic flora and fauna (Zipperer et al, 2020). Zipperer goes on to state urbanization not only destroys and fragments habitats but also alters the environment itself. Finally, urbanized areas also often have higher ambient temperatures than rural areas, a phenomenon called the urban heat island effect, which adversely alters precipitation patterns, and results in less stable conditions for our forests.
Deforestation and regime change are themes we hear in the news regularly. From staggering amounts of Amazon Rainforests being clear cut daily for cattle grazing (Silva, 2020), to Indonesian Rainforests being clear cut for palm oil plantations (see Figure 2), to Canadian Boreal forests being cleared for wood products and oil and gas drilling (Montgomery et al, 2022). While these activities and their effects feel like they are millions of miles away, their combined effects on the water cycle here in the Pacific Northwest has trended us toward significant precipitation deficits (Medvigy, 2013). These deficits, as Medvigy models, trend the Puget Sound Region to drier and hotter seasons, more forest fires and longer droughts. These realities, along with local growing population levels resulting in increased urbanization and development, have resulted in a 22% decrease in tree cover in Washington since 2000 (see Figure 3) and, with the changes to the water cycle as Medvigy elucidates, maritime evergreen forest recovery becomes less probable.
Deforestation around the world is having a massive impact on the water cycle in areas like the Puget Sound Region, and combined with steady increases in urbanization, many tree species are in steady decline. With a negative forest stability index (FSI) of the American west, which calculates tree growth rate as less than tree mortality rate, native tree species are experiencing significant population declines over the last two decades (Stanke et al, 2021). As Dr Anderegg explains in the New York Times, “the widespread death of aspen forests was near-certain if global warming continues at the pace it has in the last 10 years” (Gillis, 2015). Ultimately, the future prognosis for my beloved local maritime evergreen forests is not a good one, and with precipitation patterns already trending toward steady decline, combined with an additional 1.5 million people expected to settle in the region by 2050, regime change to subtropical mixed-woodlands is expected in the coming decades (Mote, 2012).
With challenges from increased urbanization, climate change and global deforestation rates, the fate of the Puget Sound Region's maritime evergreen forests reflects the broader challenges of ecological preservation worldwide. These forests, paramount to the region's identity and ecological health, are diminishing rapidly under the pressures of population growth, habitat fragmentation, and changing global precipitation patterns. While the current trajectory indicates an unsettling reality, where subtropical mixed-woodlands replace maritime evergreens, it serves as a reminder of our role in preserving these invaluable ecosystems. It is imperative that we act now to halt the pace of deforestation for ecosystems around the globe. By doing so, we can honor the beauty and resilience of nature while ensuring a legacy of thriving landscapes, such as my cherished maritime evergreens, for generations to come.
Images
Figure 1, Regional Population Trend, (www.psrc.org, 2024)
Figure 2, Indonesian Primary Forest Loss, (globalforestwatch.org, 2023)
Figure 3, Tree Cover Loss in Washington, United States, (globalforestwatch.org, 2023)
Bibliography
Silva, Celso H. L., Junior, et al. “The Brazilian Amazon Deforestation Rate in 2020 Is the Greatest of the Decade.” Nature Ecology & Evolution, vol. 5, no. 2, Dec. 2020, pp. 144–45. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-01368-x.
Montgomery, Ellen, and Sammy Herdman. “Threatened by Logging, the Boreal Forest Needs Our Help.” Environment America, 27 Sept. 2022, environmentamerica.org/articles/threatened-by-logging-the-boreal-forest-needs-our-help.
Medvigy, David, et al. “Simulated Changes in Northwest U.S. Climate in Response to Amazon Deforestation.” Journal of Climate, vol. 26, no. 22, July 2013, pp. 9115–36. https://doi.org/10.1175/jcli-d-12-00775.1.
Zipperer, Wayne C., et al. “Urban Development and Environmental Degradation.” Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Environmental Science, Aug. 2020, https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.013.97.
Stanke, Hunter, et al. “Over Half of Western United States’ Most Abundant Tree Species in Decline.” Nature Communications, vol. 12, no. 1, Jan. 2021, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-20678-z.
Gillis, Justin. “Climate Change Threatens to Kill Off More Aspen Forests by 2050s, Scientists
Say.” The New York Times, March 31, 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/31/science/earth/climate-change-threatens-to-kill-off-more-aspen-forests-by-2050s-scientists-say.html.
Mote, Philip. “Projecting Future Climate, Vegetation, and Hydrology in the Pacific Northwest.” Northwest Climate Adaptation Science Center, 2012, nwcasc.uw.edu/science/project/projecting-future-climate-vegetation-and-hydrology-in-the-pacific-northwest. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.
Image Citations.
PSRC. “Regional Population Trends.” PSRC Report, July 2024, www.psrc.org/media/8890.
Vizzuality. “Forest Monitoring, Land Use and Deforestation Trends | Global Forest Watch.” Global Forest Watch, www.globalforestwatch.org.