Aerial image of high elevation forests in Great Smoky Mountain National Park, which is part of the southern Blue Ridge eco-region that NC State researchers studied. The image was created using data from the National Agriculture Imagery Program. Credit: Katie McQuillan, NC State.

“We think that increasing temperatures are behind greater water use during droughts,” McQuillan said. “When it’s hotter, forests use more water to keep themselves cool.”

Source: During droughts, thirstier mountain forests could mean less water downstream