The

mountain pine beetle The mountain pine beetle (''Dendroctonus ponderosae'') is a species of bark beetle native to the forests of western North America from Mexico to central British Columbia. It has a hard black exoskeleton, and measures approximately , about the siz ...

has killed large numbers of the

lodgepole pine ''Pinus contorta'', with the common names lodgepole pine and shore pine, and also known as twisted pine, and contorta pine, is a common tree in western North America. It is common near the ocean shore and in dry montane forests to the subalpine, ...

trees in the northern mountains of the US state of

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

. The more recent outbreak of another bark beetle pest, the

spruce beetle ''Dendroctonus rufipennis'', the spruce beetle, is a species of bark beetle native to British Columbia, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Quebec, Northern Manitoba, the Yukon, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, and Maine. They are known ...

, is threatening higher-elevation forests of

Engelmann spruce ''Picea engelmannii'', with the common names Engelmann spruce, white spruce, mountain spruce, and silver spruce, is a species of spruce native to western North America. It is mostly a high-altitude mountain tree but also appears in watered canyon ...

. Chemical prevention is effective but too costly for large-scale use. Dead trees increase the incidence of

wildfire A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable fire in an area of Combustibility and flammability, combustible vegetation. Depending on the type of vegetation present, a wildfire ...

s. Uses have been found for the dead wood including

compost Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting m ...

ing and in construction, and potentially to make

biochar Biochar is the lightweight black residue, made of carbon and Ash (analytical chemistry), ashes, remaining after the pyrolysis of biomass. Biochar is defined by the International Biochar Initiative as "the solid material obtained from the th ...

Statistics

Mountain pine beetles infest the lodgepole pine, which makes up 8% of Colorado's of forests. Lodgepole pines are found at elevations between . A previous notable outbreak occurred in Colorado in the 1970s but was significantly less detrimental than the current infestation. Of the of lodgepole pine, about 70% have been damaged. High temperatures have allowed

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

infestations at higher elevations. According to a recent study,

pine beetle ''Dendroctonus'' is a genus of bark beetles. It includes several species notorious for destroying trees in the forests of North America. The genus has a symbiotic relationship with many different yeasts, particularly those in the genera '' Cand ...

s have expanded their infestation by . The infestation is primarily concentrated in the state's northern mountains. The infestation has been moving north and east from the Granby and Winter Park area towards

Larimer County Larimer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 359,066. The county seat and most populous city is Fort Collins. The county was named for William Larimer, Jr., the founder of Denver. ...

. It is estimated that

beetle kill The mountain pine beetle (''Dendroctonus ponderosae'') is a species of bark beetle native to the forests of western North America from Mexico to central British Columbia. It has a hard black exoskeleton, and measures approximately , about the siz ...

will leave behind a deforested area the size of

Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...

. The Colorado State Forest Service releases an annual report entitled ''Report on the Health of Colorado's Forests''. The most recent survey, published in January 2017, presented the following statistics: * One in 14 trees are dead in Colorado forests * The number of gray-brown standing-dead trees has increased 30 percent since 2010 to 834 million * Colorado's mountain pine beetle epidemic killed trees across 3.4 million acres * The continuing spruce beetle epidemic has killed trees across 1.7 million acres

Uses of beetle killed wood

Although beetle kill has resulted in a significant amount of dead trees, there are some options for use of the trees after they are killed. For instance, Summit County has begun composting by combining wood chips from beetle kill trees with other organic materials. By doing this, they are creating a product that could be used in landscaping and re-vegetation projects. The ancient practice of

is also emerging as an option. A product of the bio char process is a synthetic gas that can be used as fuel. Some forestry experts predict this fuel can be used to power plants where beetle kill wood is processed. Beetle kill wood is also being used in local projects. Multiple housing complexes are beginning to use beetle kill wood to replace the

siding Siding may refer to: * Siding (construction), the outer covering or cladding of a house * Siding (rail) A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line, branch l ...

of houses, like a condo complex at Copper Mountain which is replacing old siding with blue-stain wood, which is named for the dark color in the wood that is caused by

fungus A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from th ...

carried by the pine beetle.

Snowboard Snowboards are boards where the user places both feet, usually secured, to the same board. The board itself is wider than most skis, with the ability to glide on snow."snowboarding." Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 17 Mar ...

ski A ski is a narrow strip of semi-rigid material worn underfoot to glide over snow. Substantially longer than wide and characteristically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partia ...

s and

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

s are also being crafted from beetle kill pine. The Beetle Kill Trade Association has been established to “to unite and align the self interests of business invested in or interested in the removal and recycling of standing beetle killed lodgepole pines in order to remove obstacles to the creation of a viable, vibrant and sustainable market for products utilizing beetle kill pines as

raw material A raw material, also known as a feedstock, unprocessed material, or primary commodity, is a basic material that is used to produce goods, finished goods, energy, or intermediate materials that are feedstock for future finished products. As feedst ...

.”

Prevention

There are different views regarding beetle kill in Colorado. Some view it as a natural cycle while others believe it should be prevented. Unfortunately, such prevention measures are very expensive and not practical. Chemical treatments applied to lodgepole pines in the spring is effective, but the costs are $50 per tree in addition to annual treatments as needed. Werner Kurz has pointed out that hundreds of millions of tons of carbon will be released into the atmosphere as the dead timber decays or burns, contributing to climate change that may further devastate Western forests. He advocates logging most of the dead trees and replanting quickly.

References

{{reflist *Colorado State Forest Service , Annual
Report on the Health of Colorado’s Forests
' , January 2017 *Berwyn, Bob. Aspen Colorado , AspenTimes.com News. Web. 02 Nov. 2009. . *Leatherman, D. A. "Mountain Pine Beetle." Colorado State University Extension. Web. 02 Nov. 2009. . *Moscu, Jim. "How the Pine Beetle is Destroying Colorado Forests , Newsweek Environment , Newsweek.com." Newsweek - National News, World News, Health, Technology, Entertainment and more... , Newsweek.com. Web. 02 Nov. 2009. . *Pankratz, Howard. "Beetle-kill rate in Colorado "catastrophic" - The Denver Post." Home - The Denver Post. Web. 02 Nov. 2009. . *"Pine Beetles Kill High Elevation Lodgepole Pines of Colorado «." Dot Alpine Blog. Web. 02 Nov. 2009. . *Williams, David. "Beetle kill on the Hill; Colorado lawmakers make funding case in D.C. «." Colorado Independent. Web. 02 Nov. 2009. . Insect control Pest control campaigns Environment of Colorado

Statistics

Uses of beetle killed wood

Prevention

See also

References