Photo Courtesy of Brian J. Harvey

The recent Pacific Northwest heat wave had a serious health impact on many things – including people and birds – and UW School of Environmental and Forest Sciences Emeritus Professor Tom Hinckley told The Seattle Times that trees were affected too.

The hot and dry weather that Washington recently experienced pulls water out of the trees and ruptured the interior plumbing of the trees, Hinckley told the outlet. And the effects of the heat on the trees won’t be forgotten quickly.

“Even if trees die back but survive this year, they will be stunted in next year’s growth,” the story reads. “That is because this is the time when trees need to be growing their strongest, and socking away food stores for next year’s spring growth spurt. But they have little moisture with which to power photosynthesis, by which they make food and grow new tissue.”

Read the full story here.