YC decline in SE Alaska has been noted for years; well before the current hysteria over "global warming, climate change" became the excuse for practically everything and the justification to attack something you didn't like.
A little research into a subject often termed "range of historical variation" will quickly show that changes in climate and attendant changes in vegetation patterns are to be expected; independent of any supposed influence mankind has on the climate.
Years ago I read of harvesting long dead YC because the stems are very resistant to decay. (I no longer have my file cabinets of reference material by tree species but at one time had considerable literature on YC.)
"It is wise, though, to remember above all else: rifle, caliber, scope, and even bullets notwithstanding, the most important feature of successful big game hunting is to put that bullet in the correct place, the first time!" John Jobson
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