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A new U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) study paints an ominous picture of the nation’s western forests, finding that the mortality rate for trees has doubled over the last several decades because of rising temperatures and dwindling water supplies tied to global warming.

Researchers from the USGS, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and six universities, including the University of Colorado, Boulder, examined historical data from 76 different forested areas in three regions across the West and found that mortality rates were rising across the board due to climate change.

The study was first published last week by Science magazine.

One of the study’s authors, University of Colorado geography professor Thomas T.