By now you’re probably aware that the ongoing drought it taking a toll, but it may be much bigger – giant actually – toll than you think.
While cities affected by the drought scramble to protect water sources, offer rebate programs for lawn replacement, and enforce water usage restrictions with fines, the drought may be responsible for the decreasing health of the iconic sequoia trees in California.
A full-grown giant sequoia is a thirsty tree. In the height of summer, the millenia-old behemoths, some of which grow upwards of 30 stories tall, can guzzle 500 to 800 gallons of water per day. They can also survive a variety of scourges that would fell an inferior conifer — beetles, wildfires, storms. But scientists are worried the species may have met its match in the ongoing California drought.
People are becoming more conscious of the drought and its effects, but there’s still a lot of work to do. Replacing your lawn is a start, as the majority of water supplies are used for irrigation, but the water systems in place today need improvement – especially regarding recycling.
Read more of this story at Huffington Post.
