Community Scientists Needed to Study Western Redcedar Dieback
The Issaquah Alps Trails Club hosted Joey Hulbert, Puyallup Research and Extension Center, WSU, for a presentation on what we know about the dieback of Western Redcedars, among other tree species, and how citizen scientists can help gather data.
The Western Redcedar is significant culturally, historically, and as part of our forest ecosystem. Sometimes called “The Tree of Life” because there are many gifts that cedar has provided to indigenous communities since time immemorial such as medicine, wood planks, and material for making baskets and mats. “It’s a really important cultural resource we should be ensuring exists for future generations and allows this tradition to be passed down” says Joey.
Cedar also plays a major role in our industrial heritage. Issaquah itself had a cedar mill at High Point which provided products such as planks and roof shingles. It’s highly durable and resistant to rot, making it a good wood product for outdoor use.
Ecologically, Cedars are a water-loving species and will sometimes be the only tree that can survive a pocket of root rot. Additionally, cedars provide soil stability, water and air filtration, nutrient cycling, carbon storage, and habitat for wildlife. They are especially important in shading salmon-bearing creeks, keeping the temperature lower for the fish. In urban environments, they contribute to improved air quality, reducing heat islands, and improving walkability and mental wellbeing. Read more about trees as infrastructure.
Unfortunately, we have been seeing a decline in the health of redcedars. This dieback can present as an entire tree dying, or just parts of the tree. “It seems to be happening across the board” says Joey. Trees both in forests and along roadsides, in sunnier and shadier areas are affected.
The Forest Health Watch program was created to try and determine which factors are most important in tree dieback. “We really want to know which environmental factors are the driving factor in dieback.” Everything from increased heat to precipitation levels, to soil type could be involved.
Forest Health Watch takes advantage of the iNaturalist app, on which citizen scientists can take photos of cedar dieback, pair it with a GPS coordinate and answer a few more specific questions about the tree. With this information, scientists can compare patterns of redcedar dieback to climate data, soil data, or precipitation data to better understand the factors involved in the dieback, identify sites where trees are particularly vulnerable, and make predictions about where to source cedar tree seeds from in the future based on climate predictions.
Forest Health Watch had a number of additional ways to get involved including signing up for their newsletter, attending community office hours, amplifying calls to action, and offering insight into emerging problems. See all the ways to get involved.
So far, there are more than 1,000 redcedar observations in iNaturalist as part of the Redcedar dieback project. “We really want to get to 2,000 observations by the end of the year. ” says Joey.
Fill out this form if you’re interested in joining the Issaquah Alps Trails Club and Forest Health Watch as a citizen scientist in Issaquah
Watch the full Presentation