possible drought conditions for coastal PNW?

[mad murdock]

A fellow treefarm owner to the south of me, (western Douglas Co.) was telling me today that he is seeing some of this years plantings going dead due to lack of moisture.  Pretty early in the season for that already, we are far below norms for annual rainfall all up and down the oregon coastal region, any southern exposure slopes are really dry already.  North face slopes may not see bad mortality in newly planted trees, but if we don't get much more moisture, it is going to be a cooker of a fire season!

[enigmaT120]

When did he plant the trees?  They could have gone in in January this year, but there's no way to know in advance there won't be a hard freeze.  I think Douglas county is dryer than we are in the Willamette Valley area, anyway.

We've already had a fire near me this year.  Some guy target shooting started it.  I was going to do some plinking in my back yard but I guess I'll put it off.  Ammo is too spendy anyway.

Any time I think we have decent winter weather it turns out we're in a drought.  I moved over here from Prineville over 40 years ago, you would think I would have adapted by now.