Global warming and climate change is to blame for a prolonged drought in the Sierra Nevada where trees are dying in large numbers.

The prolonged drought that helped fuel a deadly bark beetle infestation in the Sierra Nevada has had a devastating impact on trees in the Inyo National Forest. Scientists warned in a 2020 LA Times article that the estimated 150 million dead trees in the Sierras would lead to “forest conflagrations akin to World War II fire bombings.”