NC Media Watch: How will local vineyards do following the PDO Shift?

Most of the local vineyards were developed over the last thirty years, during the PDO warm phase. Now that the PDO has shifted to the cool phase, which will last another twenty to thirty years, and our local vineyards are going to be challenged by highly variable spring and fall temperatures. This could have some longer term economic impacts. Tourist come to enjoy wine tasting and enjoy the fine food in Western Nevada County, wineries in peril could dampen that tourist attraction.

And new tree growth is a complete disaster, am I right?

Nothing lures visitors to Paradise like the transitory displays of wildflowers that populate Mount Rainier's high mountain meadows.

But summer sojourns could fade into memory and panoramic vistas vanish as alpine asters, rosy pussytoes and purple lupines are crowded out by trees.

Add disappearing high mountain meadows to the catalog of effects wrought by global warming. "There aren't very many places where you can visually identify the changes affected by climate. This is one," said David L. Peterson, a Forest Service research biologist.