Pine BARK BEETLE EPIDEMIC
Why is this happening?
•
Over the last century, many of our forests have become
unhealthy and overcrowded. Things were very different 100
years ago. Our forests were more diverse. They evolved with
natural cycles of wildfire, flooding, avalanches,
windstorms and insect and disease outbreaks. But changes in
our values led to a shift in forest management. We started
fighting fires to save the homes in the wildland urban
interface and stopped letting nature take its course.
•
Beetle epidemics are a natural part of forest ecosystems,
but the old age of many of the state’s lodgepole pine
forests makes them susceptible to large-scale epidemics.
Old forests, drought, lack of forest management, years of
fire suppression, and warm temperatures all have a role in
fueling this current epidemic.
What
can we do before the Bark Beetle Epidemic Arrives in
Conifer?
•
Get rid of dead trees, including limbs and slash, standing
& on the ground from your property, to minimize threat
of wildfire.
Haul
to the Slash Sites
Rent or purchase a wood chipper and chip the wood / use the
chips for mulch
Hire contractors to cut and chip the wood or use other
methods
Use the wood for firewood
•
Create defensible space around your home and start a forest
management plan. Create a healthy forest. Both Ponderosa
and Lodgepole Pines are attacked by Bark Beetles. Pick up
and read
“Forestry – Creating Wildfire-Defensible
Zones no. 6.302”
•
Preventative Spraying of un-infested, healthy trees between
May 1st
& July 1st
Candidate trees are normally big (6 inches in
diameter+)
valuable ponderosa or lodgepole pines. Pick up &
read
“MPB #2 Preventative Spraying for Mountain Pine
Beetle”
What
if you already have trees that have been attacked by the
Mountain Pine Beetle?
What to look for:
• Popcorn-shaped masses of resin, called “pitch
tubes,” on the trunk
• Boring dust in bark crevices and on the ground
• Foliage turning yellowish to reddish throughout the
entire tree crown
• Evidence of woodpecker feeding on trunk
• Presence of Mountain Pine Beetle eggs, larvae, pupae
and/or adults.
• Bluestained sapwood.
What
to do:
• SOLAR TREATMENT WITH PLASTIC (logs must be correctly
wrapped in plastic by May 1st)
Pick up and read
“MPB #1 Solar Treatment of Mountain Pine Beetle
Trees”
•
MECHANICAL TREATMENT (tree must be cut down and entire
trunk chipped or de-barked prior to June
15th)
Pick
up & read
“Mountain Pine Beetle Quick
Reference”
•
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO GET THE SOLAR TREATMENT OR
MECHANICAL TREATMENT DONE PRIOR TO THESE DEADLINES. YOU
MUST KILL THE MOUNTAIN PINE BEETLES BEFORE THEY FLY IN
JULY. ONCE THEY FLY, THEY WILL ATTACK OTHER LIVE TREES AND
EACH MALE AND FEMALE WILL LAY APPROXIMATELY 75 EGGS THAT
WILL BECOME ADULTS AND FLY THE NEXT YEAR.
•
Become informed. Read the literature that we have provided.
----------------------
To
all interested Conifer community
residents,
Attached
is a PDF format of the presentations made at the Mountain
Pine Beetle Workshop on May, 2008, which Ingrid Aguayo,
forest entomologist has prepared for us.
We
also asked the following questions and Ingrid’s
answers follow in red:
·
Are there maps showing tree types of the area?
I know for a fact that many areas in and around Conifer are
solely lodgepole pine forests.
These maps
do not show forest types of the area. You can find a simple
version of forest types at
http://csfs.colostate.edu/foresttypes.htm
·
Many
people believe their lodgepole pines to be ponderosa pines
and others believe their ponderosa pines to be lodgepole
pines. Could you send information on the
different types
of coniferous trees?
http://www.arborday.org/trees/whattree/
·
What can we do now, to get ready for the Pine Beetle
Epidemic and wildfire?
Create a healthy forest by getting rid of all dead trees
and slash, create a Defensible Space, and learn all there
is to know about these topics. Read through the
attached presentation and go to the following websites
http://www.ext.colostate.edu
http://csfs.colostate.edu/
http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/resources/fhm/aerialsurvey/
frontrangepinebeetle.org
The following PDF format presentations were presented at a
Town Hall Workshop, Spring, 2009, by
Jeffrey J. Witcosky,
Lakewood Service Center Leader
,
Golden, CO 80401.
Mountain Pine Beetle info
pt1
Mountain Pine Beetle info
pt2
Mountain Pine Beetle impacts on Ponderosa
Pine
Ingrid
Aguayo, Ph.D.
Forest
Entomologist
Colorado
State Forest Service
Colorado
State University
5060
Campus Delivery
Fort
Collins, Colorado 80523-5060
Office:
(970) 491-7282
Jeffrey J.
Witcosky
Lakewood Service
Center Leader
740 Simms
Street
Golden, CO
80401
Voice: (303)
236-9541
email:
jwitcosky@fs.fed.us
Click
below to download the PDF format file of the presentations
made at the Mountain Pine Beetle Workshop on May 12,
2008.
PineBeetleIssues
(pdf document)
