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Beetles may wipe out Colo. lodgepoles »

Posted by: STONERS 7 months, 1 week ago

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Strands of distressed, red pine trees across northern Colorado and the Front Range are a visible testament to the bark beetle infestation that officials said will kill most of the state's lodgepole pine trees within 5 years.

Read Full Story at news.yahoo.com

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STONERS7 months, 1 week ago

"The infestation that was first detected in 1996 grew by half-million acres last year, bringing the total number of acres attacked by bark beetles to 1.5 million."
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  STONERS7 months, 1 week ago
  
  "Officials said the infestation has been concentrated in five northern Colorado counties straddling the Continental Divide and has since spread to the Front Range and southern Wyoming. The counties affected are Boulder, Chaffee, Clear Creek, Gilpin, Lake and Larimer counties."
  
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getreal17 months, 1 week ago

We had cedar bag worms that attacked cedar trees in Georgia awhile back. They were bad. they need to spray right ahead of break out time for prevention. The only thing that can be done is a constant spray. I saved my cedar trees that way. Heat brings on more infestation.
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jelly17 months, 1 week ago

I wonder if its only logepoles. Are my ponderossa's safe?
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  4mogger7 months, 1 week ago
  
  no they are not. Ponderosa are also being killed in huge swaths over here on the western slope. I have seen plenty of beetle kill in the ponderosa stands on the Uncompahgre plateau.
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bill29367 months, 1 week ago

IMHO, any attempt to combat the problem will be fruitless, because some group out there will get the beetles declared as 'endangerred' and any attempts to eradicate them will be made illegal.
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Cityslicker7 months, 1 week ago

"Not nice to fool Mother Nature" , sounds like Mother Nature doing her job , one species feeding on another the way it was designed to , giving others a little more water .
God forbid man with his infinite wisdom , will mess it up .
"We are Gods , we control everything" , sorry lost it for a second !
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  4mogger7 months, 1 week ago
  
  Mother nature cannot do her job since we actively prevent the natural cure---fire.
  We need to allow fires to burn even if it means that many homes will be destroyed. No one can build in the forest and not expect fire. It is a natural thing and must be allowed for the health of the forest. Homes can be rebuilt or better yet, not rebuilt.
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GWHayduke7 months, 1 week ago

More indirect results of climate change.
It already looks stark in many places on the Front Range and promises to spread quickly. Unless you're a young person, you probably won't see the majestic stands of the lodgepoles again in CO after these dying trees fall.

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  4mogger7 months, 1 week ago
  
  You are a moron. It has nothing to do with climate change. It has to do with the suppression of fire and bans on logging. You can do one or the other and the health of the forest will remain. But we have done both. So forests outlive their normal life spans and become unhealthy and weak. We then get super forest fires that are 100's of times more destructive and provide a safe haven for parasites to multiply and disperse.
  The answer is to allow natural forest fires to burn...lower temperatures and far less destruction will occur and many species of tree require fire for germination. This also prevents the unchecked spread of parasites. Responsible logging is also a key component to forest management when the goal is a healthy and natural forest.
  Man thinks he is protecting the forests but is actually causing more harm in his methods. Allow fires and logging and we will be back on the right track.
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    GWHayduke7 months, 1 week ago
    
    Thanks for the resounding vote of confidence Moggy, but your knowledge of physical science is remedial at best.
    It has nothing to do with climate change? The fact that these pine beetles have a one year life cycle and are typically decimated by a period of extended cold weather.
    That event has been reduced and the beetle's life cycle extended resulting in 'extremely accelerated growth patterns" and consequent swarming and feasting during periods when the trees would typically be beetle-free.
    But if you like the Limbaugh provided explanation of "God wants more fires in them trees" you're free to wallow in your own ignorance, but please refrain from exposing it.
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      4mogger7 months, 1 week ago
      
      Actually I formed my opinion when I worked summers for the USDA Forest Service. I was a timber technician and was charged with marking trees to be thinned through logging. That and regeneration surveys.
      Most of the trees I marked were beetle kill and we were trying to limit the damage. Fire is most definitely the real solution since I know you slackjaw liberal hacks won't actually allow someone to use the trees for silly things like homes and such.
      
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      4mogger7 months, 1 week ago
      
      Does climate change also explain why we have massive stands of 180 yr. old aspen trees? You know their natural life span is only 120 years. Of course you would know a 180 yr. old ugly, waste of resources and blazing inferno waiting to happen, aspen tree if you ever bothered to actually go out and see them. Then ask yourself why.
      We suppress fire and do not log.
      That is amazingly irresponsible policy. Driven entirely by well meaning "environmental nazis."
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        GWHayduke7 months, 1 week ago
        
        Cuttin them trees down made you a bona fide scientist, huh, Moggy?
        No one here has mentioned fires and their obvious contribution to a healthy forest. This article is about the extended life cycle of the RMB and the effect their propogated growth will have on the pine forests.
        Unless those beetles are carrying matches, there is no direct correlation to beetles and fires.
        It is about maintaining balance not suppressing fires.
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abntv7 months, 1 week ago

Two choices...kill the beetle or let the trees die..CO will argue over that until it is too late.
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