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Beetle Kill Turns Forest Red, Raises Wildfire Risk
CBS 4 ^
| Aug 15, 2006
| Paul Day
Posted on 08/15/2006 8:50:11 AM PDT by george76
Experts and emergency management officials in Grand County worry that a large stretch of forest devastated by pine beetles may be waiting to burn in a massive wildfire.
At least a quarter million acres of lodge pole pines are either dead or dying because of the mountain pine beetle.
They've turned once green forests into large areas of dead, red colored trees.
"Some of these county roads are very thin," Billy Sumerlin, director of Grand County's Natural Resources department said.
"It makes it very difficult for fire apparatus to get in, especially if we're in the process of trying to get people out."
Homeowners have cut trees around their properties to create defensible space and protect their homes.
"I think it would be impossible to stay on top of it at the rate it is going, it's alarming," ...
(Excerpt) Read more at cbs4denver.com ...
TOPICS: Extended News; Government; US: Alaska; US: Colorado; US: Idaho; US: Montana; US: Utah; US: Wyoming
KEYWORDS: barkbeetle; barkbeetledamage; beetle; beetleinfestation; colorado; entomologist; environment; forest; forestdevastation; foresters; forestfires; forestservice; g80; healthforest; logging; pinebeetle; usfs; wildfire; wildfirerisk; wildfires; wildlandfires
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" If you have ever seen those red pine trees then you have seen the effects of bark beetle, and these days entire mountainsides are covered in a spanning sea of red, dead trees. "
1
posted on
08/15/2006 8:50:12 AM PDT
by
george76
Comment #2 Removed by Moderator
To: george76
If George Bush and those evil republicans didn't hate the trees so much...
3
posted on
08/15/2006 8:53:00 AM PDT
by
kinoxi
To: george76
I know we're having a drought here for the last 6 months, Panhandle of Florida, but I've noticed a large number of pines and OAK tress dying around here lately, not just old ones, but young ones, too. Anybody know what kills these trees besides just drought?........
4
posted on
08/15/2006 8:53:20 AM PDT
by
Red Badger
(Is Castro dead yet?........)
To: Red Badger
Anybody know what kills these trees besides just drought?........
Do you have oak wilt in your area? Nasty stuff.
5
posted on
08/15/2006 8:54:41 AM PDT
by
P-40
(Al Qaeda was working in Iraq. They were just undocumented.)
To: Fighting Irish
Great image right before lunch.
To: george76
You can pretty much thank the tree huggers for banning logging on massive tracts of land, allowing the beetle to move in and kill a forest that should have been harvested, and now will just burn away.
7
posted on
08/15/2006 8:55:18 AM PDT
by
xcamel
(Press to Test, Release to Detonate)
To: Red Badger; forester; SierraWasp; tubebender
8
posted on
08/15/2006 8:56:02 AM PDT
by
george76
(Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
To: george76
This site reports some of the work being done on the Kenai Peninsula.
Good collaborative effort.
9
posted on
08/15/2006 8:57:02 AM PDT
by
kinsman redeemer
(The real enemy seeks to devour what is good.)
To: Red Badger
10
posted on
08/15/2006 8:57:31 AM PDT
by
Salamander
(And don't forget my Dog; fixed and consequent.........)
To: george76
Ya know, if the forest is infected, a fire might not be a bad thing...
11
posted on
08/15/2006 8:59:58 AM PDT
by
Little Ray
(If you want to be a martyr, we want to martyr you.)
To: xcamel; Knitting A Conundrum
You are correct.
When the massive wild fire gets going, it will go into many of these communities burning homes and businesses.
Hopefully some are now building a defensible space around their homes.
12
posted on
08/15/2006 9:00:40 AM PDT
by
george76
(Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
To: P-40
These "Live Oaks" (native species) Just up and turned brown over the last couple of months. Pines I don't care about.........
13
posted on
08/15/2006 9:03:50 AM PDT
by
Red Badger
(Is Castro dead yet?........)
To: Little Ray
Ya know, if the forest is infected, a fire might not be a bad thing...
Nature's disinfectant.
14
posted on
08/15/2006 9:05:13 AM PDT
by
July 4th
(A vacant lot cancelled out my vote for Bush.)
To: Little Ray
The fires will kill many of the beetles.
Unfortunately, the fires will also pollute the air, pollute the water supply with ash which also kills wildlife ( not just fish...), then kills the organic soil if it gets hot enough.
15
posted on
08/15/2006 9:06:29 AM PDT
by
george76
(Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
To: July 4th
Lodgepole pine seeds need a fire to germinate, too.
16
posted on
08/15/2006 9:07:37 AM PDT
by
thulldud
("Para inglés, oprima el dos.")
To: george76
17
posted on
08/15/2006 9:07:54 AM PDT
by
kinsman redeemer
(The real enemy seeks to devour what is good.)
To: Little Ray
Fire is not a bad thing even when the forest is not infected.
18
posted on
08/15/2006 9:09:25 AM PDT
by
kinsman redeemer
(The real enemy seeks to devour what is good.)
To: kinsman redeemer
It is good to hear that Alaska is taking this seriously.
Harvesting some of the dead trees provides good jobs to the local communities. The local jobs then can support the local schools, medical facilities...
All for a renewable resource.
19
posted on
08/15/2006 9:10:17 AM PDT
by
george76
(Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
To: Fighting Irish
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