#Zombie Forests

[pcttrailsidereader]

'Zombie' Forests

Over the past several years we have written a great deal about the impact of climate change on the PCT experience. The changing health of forests is among those impacts. Although this is not just occurring in the California mountains, the level of urgency seems to be most pronounced in California. I have definitely seen firsthand the phenomenon Avery Hill describes in his research.

The story below is an excerpt from an article written by Elena Shao in the March 6, 2023 NY Times.

A warming climate has left a fifth of the conifer forests that blanket California's Sierra Nevada stranded in habitats that no longer suit them, according to a study published last week by researchers at Stanford University.

In these “zombie forests,” older, well-established trees — including ponderosa pines, Douglas firs and sugar pines — still tower overhead, but few young trees have been able to take root because the climate has become too warm and dry for them to thrive.

Mature trees are able to survive even after their local climate has shifted, but the species is not likely to grow back in these areas after a major disturbance, like a catastrophic wildfire, logging event or period of extreme drought. Instead, the study found, the forest is more likely to be replaced by smaller, shrublike vegetation that is adapted to warmer, drier conditions.

For their analysis, Dr. Hill and colleagues examined historical data going back more than eight decades, comparing detailed survey data plotted by the U.S. Forest Service in the 1930s with more recent vegetation maps. They found that during that time period, the Sierra Nevada’s conifer forests had, on average, shifted about 112 feet higher in elevation. The most suitable temperature range for the conifers had shifted even faster, climbing upslope by about 600 feet.

That has left an estimated 11 percent of today’s conifer forest in the Sierra Nevada mismatched to its current climate conditions, with another 8 percent considered “severely” mismatched, according to the study.

Global climate change has put pressure on many species of plants and animals to move to higher elevations or toward polar latitudes in order to stay in climate zones they have historically adapted to. Longer-lived species, like conifer trees, which can live for centuries, often find it harder to keep up with the velocity of climate change, said Chris Field, the director of the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment and senior author on the study. They can only move as fast as their seeds get dispersed.

[forestanomaly]

I'm so happy with how this turned out eeek Some close-ups with headcanons below!

Grian doesn't have his usual wings on the traffic server, but his bird hands/legs (I haven't desided on the tail??) remain intact. He tucks three feathers behind his goggles to represent his lives and takes them away when he dies. Mumbo leaves redstone torch behind his ear like a pen. Originally he just forgot it there, but then desided to just roll with it so no one notices.

Jimmy's curse is represented by a canary feather following him whenever he goes. No matter how hard he tries to shake it off, it still finds it's way to him.

Impulse paints his horns. For branding purposes, of course. Tango's hair lights up only when he feels strong emotions (or is being spooked in this case)

Gem has deer ears and legs and grows horns as her downfall into red progresses. Pearl has a moon-shaped scar on her eye. She got it in the first Scarlet Pearl incident and then it slowly faded into ligher color, but never dissapeared.

[moodboard-d]

[ex0skeletal-undead]

Illustrations by AbigailLarson

This artist on Instagram

[sikoi]

sequence 1: spotted.

[starcrossedandstupid]

A Gem/Pearl/Cleo team up would be so awesome next season, and I know this is a big fandom opinion

HOWEVER I would like to rouse Gem/Pearl/Cleo/Lizzie

We have GeminiSlay, in the top three of her first game and was crushing it every episode, Pearl who is a former winner and is very skilled in PvP, Cleo who has made so many allies and is overall very good at the game. And then Lizzie, a loser girl(pos). Her teammates would be crushing anyone attacking them and Lizzie trips on a rock while farming. The dynamic of them being them and her being her would be so good. Lizzie IS chaotic, and would get along so well with that group. Scary dog privilege. The threats she could make that people wouldn’t take seriously, but are then followed through. It would be iconic, it both the silly moments and the serious ones.

[cyanide-sippy-cup]

"Psychic Spectres intro" this, "Anime OP" that. Y'all are sleeping on the true king fr

[forestgranted]

For the art requests- Bdubs and Cleo interaction?

hi! sorry for the late response, i got busy since u requested, but here u go! ^_^

[dragon-inc]

[stuck-in-jelly]

Something I keep thinking about is how the corruption in Lux Aurea can be healed specifically by Mukho through his special medicines.

And how Janai says she corruption was so bad she had to kill her own people who were infected.

I hope Mukho comes out of hiding to help them heal but even if he can help the Sunforge and the corruption Janai would have to live and cope with the knowledge that she had to kill her own people when they still could’ve been saved

[xyl4-4444]

Happy (belated) 13th anniversary Twilight Forest mod!!! Thank you for bringing so many minecraft players good memories!!

[forestanomaly]

HII! HERES SOME HC SWAP IDEAS!

cat gem

blazeborn joel

imp cleo

butterfly false

warden pearl

I LOVE UR ART BTW <33

Hii thank you sm!!

Ok but warden Pearl is so fitting. With all the decked out and two (at least?) shrieker dorbells and killing wardens for fun and dragging them on the surface I'm actually surprised that warden Pearl is not so common!

Bonus: some concept sketches of onther ideas I liked. Might also draw blazeborn Joel and imp Cleo some day .)

[leupagus]

Say what you will about Martin's writing style (and I've said plenty) but I do think he's got the White Walkers' mythos worked out for a future book and IT WOULD HAVE BEEN SO NICE IF THE SHOWRUNNERS HAD DONE 1/100TH OF THAT WORK SETTING THEM UP

Gus: I am mad all over again that there was absolutely zero explanation given as to why/how the Night King operates or how his powers work or why he chose now to attack or ANYTHING ELSE

Gus: on the plus side it means I get to make up a whole subplot that, not to brag, I'm comfortable saying is at least as good as anything D&D could've made up IF THEY HAD EVER EVEN BOTHERED

Gus: but like - okay so craster's infant sons get sacrificed to the Night King, who them magics them into White Walkers as babies

Mardia: Yep yep

Gus: so does that mean there's a white walker nursery

Mardia: Omg

Gus: do they have to change diapers

Mardia: LOOOOOOOL

Gus: is there a white walker daycare center

Gus: how does the night king TEACH his lil adopted monster babies

Gus: is there like storytime around the - well not fire

Gus: does the Night King remember what it was like to sit around a fire?

Gus: does he miss being a human and all his rage at the spell the Children of the Forest put on him to kill the First Men has curdled his brain?

Gus: what was he DOING for like 8 millennia, just hanging out?

Gus: did he get really good at ice fishing?

Gus: DO THEY EAT?

Gus: where the fuck do they get their snazzy outfits from

Gus: are there white walker tailors

Gus: what's the currency situation

Mardia: Lololololololol

Gus: I'M JUST SAYING

[lucasallencook]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1614750755/lucas-allen-cook-wandering-the-forest

lucasallencook.etsy.com

[sikoi]

‹ sequence 3: watcher.

nearing a week since forest first encountered a zombie with not-so-zombie behavior, he couldn't help but follow and observe.

[daughter-cain]