We ask what the Easter Islanders thought as they cut the last tree down, implying that they were somehow stupider than us, that we would certainly recognize the value of a resource and preserve it before it got to that point.

But species are going extinct every day and even many common species are in trouble.

Pinyon Jay

Pinyon (Pinus edulis), for example, is a very important tree species in the southwestern US with hundreds of dependent species.  It’s remarkably common – the co-dominant species in pinyon-juniper woodlands which is the third largest vegetation cover type in the US.

In the last decade, incredible numbers of pinyon have died and scientists are pretty sure that pinyon is going to die out across much of its range within my lifetime.  It’s all due to climate change induced drought, but we aren’t doing anything significant to address climate change and discussions of assisted migration or other conservation strategies for many species are just that, discussions.  The plans and most certainly the money for such projects will come far too late for most species.  Many people are still holding out on technology that is very unlikely to save us.