Washington: 30 years after the the mountain blew the land is still barren
There’s a good satellite image and commentary about the modest forest
recovery after the Mt. St. Helen volcanic eruption 28 years ago, at
Nasa’s Earth Observatory:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=36298
“Nearly three decades after the eruption, the impact on the forest in
the blast zone is still obvious. South of the mountain, lush green
forests cover the landscape, while north of the mountain, vegetation
remains sparse, particularly on higher elevations. (Some sparsely
vegetated areas may be above treeline.) Different areas of the blown
down or buried forests are recovering at different speeds. Recovery is
slower in forests that had been clear cut before the eruption, and
faster in places where vegetation was protected from erosion, wind,
drying, and temperature extremes by fallen giants—old growth Douglas
fir trees blown down in the eruption—or by snow pack.”
— Posted to http://forestpolicyresearch.com via gmail to posterous and
also to forestpolicyresearch@yahoogroups.com
Posted via email from Deane’s posterous