Dr. WILLIAM LAURANCE on the Uncertain Future of Giant Trees /103

For years, many observers of our global forests have been witnessing significant tree mortality, and Earth’s largest living organisms, like giant redwoods, sequoias, and baobabs, are not immune to this phenomenon. If temperatures rise as projected by four degrees Celsius by the end of this century, we may witness the death of these ancient trees whose lifespans far exceed our own. Giant redwoods can live beyond 2,000 years in age, giant sequoias and baobabs reach up to 3,000 years, and large canopy trees found throughout Amazonia range from 400 to 1,400 years old. What possible futures await these ancient ones? What contributions do these massive trees make that we are blind to? And what exactly is the driving force behind the disappearance of old trees? Music by Grant Earl LaValley https://grantearllavalley.bandcamp.com/