You may have seen the reports of a news conference in January in which the results of an aerial survey of the state’s forests showed that the pine beetle has now claimed 1.5 million acres of forest on the Western Slope. It also showed that both Boulder and Larimer counties have seen more than a 1,500 percent increase in beetle activity in the past year.
There is no historical precedent for the size of this infestation, and experts disagree on how much more damage will eventually be done. However, it is generally agreed that the pine beetle will continue to destroy our Lodgepole and will likely jump species to Ponderosa. That will result in more dead trees in our community, possibly a lot more, and, therefore, an increased danger of wildfire in coming years.
We will not be able to stop the beetle infestation, but our community has some advantages over the Western Slope which could help us mitigate the damage about to occur.
- Unlike the Western Slope’s Lodgepole forests, we have a mixed species forest. It is generally agreed that, although the pine beetle will jump species, it prefers the same type of tree favored by previous generations. Therefore the infestation may slow once the Lodgepole are destroyed.
- Most mature Colorado forests have over twice as many trees per acre as those forests which are more resistant to Mountain Pine Beetle. However, locally many of us have been doing fuels reduction work and reducing the number of trees per acre on our property for years now. This has resulted in fewer but healthier trees better able to withstand a beetle attack.
- The catastrophe on the Western Slope has alerted Federal, State, and County governments that help is needed for forest managers trying to mitigate the destruction of trees and control the increased danger of wildfire along the Front Range. A number of initiatives are underway that may assist those of us actively managing our forests.
In order to utilize these advantages to full effect we will need to be prepared for the infestation when it arrives. For some time now, Larimer County Tree Farmers have been tracking the Mountain Pine Beetle and the initiatives being proposed by various government agencies.
Since this epidemic may soon affect our whole community, we would like to share this information with everyone who is interested. If you want to learn more about the Mountain Pine Beetle, how to differentiate it from other forest insects, the most effective treatments, how other communities are addressing the problem and what resources are available to assist you now and in the near future, please send me your name and email address. In return the Larimer County Tree Farm Association will start supplying you with the information that we are providing our members. There will be no charge and you will be removed from the email list whenever you wish.
Thanks for your interest.
Wes Rutt
Larimer County Tree Farmers
wes@treefarmer.com
