MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. — At the base of Mammoth Mountain, an invisible force has turned a lush green forest into a collection of bleached skeletons. A forest of dead trees and how they got that way is one of California’s most bizarre natural phenomena.
Invisible carbon dioxide (CO2) gas seeped up through the earth following a sudden and intense rash of earthquakes in 1989. Forest Service interpreter Keith Dawley says within a few years more than 120 acres of trees near Horseshoe Lake were killed.
“When the magma cools the byproduct is CO2,” said Dawley. “People say, 'don’t trees breath carbon dioxide?' Well, they do, but carbon dioxide in the soil and the roots isn't something that they like.”
► See an interactive map of everywhere John has visited on the backroads
► Watch all of the Backroads videos
► Follow John on Facebook
Originally it was thought drought or bugs killed the trees, then a forest service worker discovered the CO2 leak by accident inside a nearby snow survey cabin.
“He went in and he was looking for some equipment or something and started to feel light headed, and he thought there was something weird,” said Dawley.
Researchers later found Mammoth Mountain emits nearly 300 tons of CO2 a day.
Despite the many warning signs, people still visit the lake regularly. Gretchen Haselbauer with Mammoth Lakes Office of Outdoor Recreation says during the annual Trail Festival, runners huff and puff through the dead forest on miles of trails cleaned and maintained by volunteers. The only thing not allowed is camping.
“That’s because of the CO2. It could get trapped in your tent,” said Haselbauer.
Deadly on the ground but beautiful above. Luckily for visitors, CO2 is heavier than air, so there is very little to worry about as long as you are not lying in the dirt.
MORE TWISTED TREE FUN ON THE BACKROADS: An ancient forest, older than the Egyptian pyramids, survives in one of California's most harsh and unforgiving environments.
