Pine beetles have destroyed 400,000 acres of pine trees in Colorado's mountains in 2008. The infestation just keeps on growing. Why? Because temperatures do not get cold enough to kill them in the winter.
I know; I keep putting snow pictures on my blog, so you probably think we are under a frigid blanket of snow all winter! I do that because it is pretty. Every time it snows, I make sure to have that camera with me.
The truth is, Colorado is really a mild climate. Recently, we had January temperatures all week pushing the seventies, with bright blue skies and sunshine. Since 1996 the beetles have chomped up nearly 2,000,000 acres of pristine pine forest. People love to go skiing and hiking in the mountains, but now officials are cautioning people to use extra care, because of the risk of falling trees.
If we could get some really cold weather, I mean double digits below zero in the mountains, and have it last a week or two, it would kill the beetles. We are getting snow in the mountains again today. I promise to take pictures down here on the plains, where we are just getting frost.
As if all of the above is not bad enough news, Friday's Denver Post reported that a new study of otherwise healthy trees - undisturbed by logging, fire, or massive pest outbreaks - says that those trees are living only half as long as they once did. Temperatures in the forests have increased, which has led to more evaporation, less moisture, and severe drought. According to the study, the same patterns are being reported through British Columbia, California, and through the entire Rocky Mountain region.
1 comment:
Is there any other way to stave off the beetles? How sad to see a dead tree. There's just something so haunting about it.
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