BechtelDon'tWorry?

= __ The Bark Beetle Epidemic: __ =

__ Drawing the Connections __


Anyone who has driven along Interstate Highway I-70, across the Continental Divide in Colorado, within the last few years, has seen the effects of the mountain pine bark beetles firsthand. As your car winds and twists though the mountains you are treated to front row seats for one of the most overlooked signs of a sustainability problem; the bark beetle infestation. These native insects are responsible for the dead or dying trees that cover a large part the Western United States. The infected trees can be easily distinguished from the rest of the population because their color changes from a healthy shade of green to a fiery orange as they die. What many passersby don’t understand is the problem which these effects convey. Bark beetles are naturally an important part of the forest ecosystem because they help remove older, weaker trees from the population. The enormous outbreak that can be seen today is the result of a number of unsustainable practices which have lead to an unhealthy forest and thriving beetle population. “The effects of fire exclusion, grazing, unsustainable logging, drought, and … current and changing climatic conditions are combining … to trigger widespread bark beetle-caused tree mortality.”

The bark beetle infestation is affecting a lot more than just the trees along the Western Slope of Colorado. Arial surveys have shown the problem to affect large areas of every western state from New Mexico all the way up into Canada. The magnitude of the problem is stunning. From 2002 to 2003, the number of forested acres in the West detected with bark beetle caused tree mortality more than doubled from 4 million to 10 million acres. Forest service experts estimate that in the next three years virtually all of Colorado’s lodgepole pine trees over five inches in diameter will be lost. It is hard to picture the Rocky Mountains stripped bare of all pine trees, but this may be the scenario we see in the near future. Hopefully the forests will be able to recover after the current outbreak has ended and a new generation of trees has grown to maturity, but presently there are various negative effects. The most important assets of a healthy forest are clean air and water and many wildlife habitats. These resources are essential to our lives and are often taken for granted. The most daunting of these effects is the increase of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. This is a known cause of global warming and will actually exacerbate the bark beetle epidemic. The forests are also a source of economic, social, and ecological well-being for people. Homeowners cry out for the need to change as they watch the magnificent trees that once surrounded their houses leveled and turned into lumber and firewood. Recreational opportunities, such as ski resorts and public parks, are also heavily affected by the epidemic. A primary concern is the safety of areas infected by the beetles. Most pine trees have a small root system and when they die they are likely to fall. This creates a hazard itself, but these dead trees also often take healthy trees down with them and greatly increase the risk of uncontrollable forest fires. On top of these problems, steep, mountainous areas that are void of trees are much more susceptible to rock and mud slides. Not to mention dead trees are much less aesthetically pleasing.

The problem of the bark beetle epidemic is incredibly difficult to solve because it stems from a long history of unsustainable practices. The two major contributors to the problem are drought and rising climate temperatures. One issue is that the beetle population used to be kept in check by long harsh winters where many would die off. The problem is with rising atmospheric temperatures the winters recently have been much shorter and milder, allowing the beetle population to thrive. The other issue is that unhealthy trees cannot provide much defense against the beetle attacks. The bark beetles rarely kill healthy trees, but with the current levels of drought in the West it is difficult to find very many healthy trees. Both of these issues are direct results of global warming, which is certainly not an easy problem to solve and requires global cooperation. In the meantime, the best solution available is better forest management. This includes thinning out forested areas in order to give the surviving trees a better chance at survival. Spraying chemicals can also protect some trees from infestation. These two solutions, however, are small scale, very energy intensive, and really only mitigate to problem. For now, all people can do is try to protect as many important forest areas as possible, but the only real solution is to end global warming and live more sustainable lives.

For more information see the peer reviewed article below or watch the brief news program presented by the New York Times.

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