<p>After a yearslong California drought, an &quot;<a href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics-government/government/tom-vilsack-PEPLT0008934-topic.html" target="_blank">unprecedented</a>&quot; number of trees are dead up and down the coastal state.</p><p>And that poses a huge threat to local communities.</p><p>It&#39;s estimated 36 million trees have died since May, which would put the total number of dead trees in the state at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.latimes.com/topic/politics-government/government/tom-vilsack-PEPLT0008934-topic.html" target="_blank">more than 102 million</a>.</p><p><b>SEE MORE: <a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/what-s-killing-us-who-blames-1-in-4-deaths-on-unhealthy-environment/">What's Killing Us? WHO Blames 1 In 4 Deaths On 'Unhealthy Environment'</a></b></p><p>Those dried-up trees fuel wildfires.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-updates-wildfire-season-where-are-california-s-1471880147-htmlstory.html" target="_blank">Big blazes</a>&nbsp;have burned over 140,000 acres in 2016 alone. To fight the problem, officials are trying to use the trees for lumber or for fuel in&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/09/08/so-many-u-s-trees-have-died-that-some-scientists-want-to-burn-them-instead-of-coal/?utm_term=.44ff5dd12aa8" target="_blank">energy plants</a>.</p><p>A majority of the dead trees are in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/nov/18/dead-trees-california-drought-wildfires-forest-services" target="_blank">Sierra Nevada region</a>, but they&#39;ve also been found in northern California.</p><p>Authorities are predicting the die-off will last at least another&nbsp;<a href="http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-dead-trees-20161118-story.html" target="_blank">couple of years</a>. Even if California got an unusually high amount of precipitation, it wouldn&#39;t do much to curb the damage for some time.</p><hr><b>Trending stories at <a href="http://www.newsy.com">Newsy.com</a></b><ul class="inline-related-links"><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/obama-plan-bans-arctic-sea-drilling-until-2020/">No Drilling Allowed In The Arctic Sea At Least For A Few Years</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/a-new-bike-helmet-is-made-of-paper/">Paper Could Soon Be The Way Cyclists Stay Safe</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/how-to-deal-with-water-scarcity/">Solving One Of The Biggest Challenges This Century: Water</a></li></ul>