California's nut harvests hit by wildfire smoke in summer
- Wildfire smoke in California's Central Valley during the late summer of 2020 and 2021 blocked sunlight, crucial for tree energy storage.
- This resulted in a significant decrease in almond harvests, with some orchards reporting declines of up to 60% in nut yields.
- The study reveals a previously underexplored impact of wildfire smoke on agricultural productivity, opening discussion for changes needed in grower and ecosystem management.
In California's Central Valley, the summer of 2020 and 2021 brought significant wildfire smoke that blocked sunlight, severely impacting almond orchards' harvests. A study published on October 2 reported a strong correlation between heavy smoke exposure and reduced energy storage in trees, which is critical for their growth during winter. The research revealed that some almond orchards experienced nut harvest declines of up to 60%. Prior to this, the focus for almond growers was primarily on crop quality affected by wildfires. The scientists have raised new concerns about how smoke influences photosynthetic capacity, suggesting that the adverse effects extend beyond nut yield to the overall health and sustainability of almond production in a region vital for global almond supplies. Moreover, the findings indicate that other tree species in natural ecosystems may also be susceptible to the damaging effects of megafire smoke, underscoring the need for a broader understanding of wildfire impacts.