Posted on 11/29/2006 10:24:12 AM PST by george76
The number of Colorado lodgepole pines killed by bark beetles jumped nearly fivefold in 2006 as the explosive, decadelong bug epidemic continues to gain steam.
About 4.8 million lodgepoles were killed this year, up from roughly 1 million trees last year, according to Bob Cain, an entomologist with the U.S. Forest Service in Golden.
The lodgepole acreage under attack by mountain pine beetles jumped about 50 percent this year to 644,840 acres, up from 430,526 acres last year.
The new numbers, which are considered preliminary, come from aerial tree-damage surveys conducted this summer.
"We had a significant increase in both acres and even more so in intensity - meaning that on the acres impacted, a lot more trees died," Cain said.
"They're not slowing down at all," he said. "There's nothing really stopping these beetles."
Colorado's lodgepole pines are found mainly in the state's north- central mountains, at elevations between 6,000 and 11,000 feet.
Many of the stands are more than a century old, with trees up to 80 feet tall.
The state's ponderosa pines are also under attack by mountain pine beetles, but "the big outbreaks are all in the lodgepole," Cain said.
Colorado has about 1.5 million acres of lodgepole-dominated forest, and about 43 percent of it is now infested.
(Excerpt) Read more at rockymountainnews.com ...
Enjoying all the snow today?
The ski areas and the reservoirs/farmers are happy with the snow.
So I am happy for them.
But it is too cold in November for me.
"Let me be the first:"
Bush's Fault
Not Global Warming?
Good point...but being a Florida native...I can't get enough of the snow; even though I've been here for 15 years!
Global swarming?
Do they taste good?
Taste reminds me of wild hickory nuts.(even though the commercial said this about Grape Nuts, it opened with the question,"Ever eat a pine tree?")
That's right, but try explaining that to a greenie.
You gotta think these things through ...
Besides, everything is Bush's fault. His mere existence turns good into evil.
Time for my medication now. Thanks for visiting.
The trees there are nearing the end of their natural life cycle, anyway. These forests are old and overgrown for lodgepoles, without the benefits of beautiful old growth forest. I hope we can figure out how to help the land grow back in a more healthy state.
I'm sure the absence of cold snaps is to blame, but one of the loggers clearing the beetlekill told us that the Feds forbade loggers from clearing off infestations on govt. land, due to environmental concerns. This logger was pretty pissed because lots of his friends had to move away when work dried up, but I think he was on to something about government land incubating these little buggers.
The clever Sierra Club lawyers make alot of money filing stupid lawsuits.
The Sierra Club has been taken over by these lawyers.
The foresters are prevented from using science in their decisions.
Sad.
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