Forestry Forum Phone Calls

by Ron Gosnell

Are beetles really on the decline in our area?

The first question was about recent newspaper reports of the beetles decline, and does that decline apply to Allenspark area forests, the caller asked?

The beetle-demise report originated with a press release by an Incident Management Organization. This group of experts is assembled by the USDA Forest Service to deal with the hazardous aftermath of the beetle epidemic. Their task is to deal with hundreds of thousands of dead trees, a focus not so much about beetles as the dangerous fuel and hazardous dead trees.

It is true however what they said. In many areas of the state, in particular west slope mature lodgepole pine forests, pine bark beetles are out of food. In those specific locals, after 10 or more years of beetle epidemic, the Dendroctonus (tree killing beetle species) mountain pine beetle (MPB) population has already or will soon collapse. There simply are not enough living big host trees left to support epidemic MPB populations.

Look around at our green and living forests here. There still is plenty of crowded mature lodgepole pine of susceptible size for MPB. MPB can attack and then propagate ever more beetle brood. Continuation of the epidemic here is very likely. We also have seen more dead trees killed by smaller Ips beetles and tiny twig beetles. These other bark beetles are attacking stressed smaller-diameter lodgepole trees than do the MPB.

Furthermore, it is not just lodgepole pine at risk. Witness in Rocky Mountain National Park hundreds of large mature ponderosa pine killed by MPB. Limber and bristlecone pine natives and introduced Scotch and Austrian pines are also susceptible to MPB attack.

We have learned at Allenspark Beetle Control (ABC) meetings that beetles which emerge and fly from one tree species have a tendency to attack the same species of tree, if those same species of host trees are available. Therefore, as we detect more ponderosa pine beetle trees, we may see epidemic expansion of MPB in ponderosa pine forests as well as lodgepole.

This is not guaranteed, but again, look around. There are plenty of susceptible ponderosa pine food source trees available to MPB. Only time will tell if the epidemic really takes off in ponderosa, and how severe it will become.

Instead of hoping the beetles will go away, now is the time to become especially vigilant about beetles. It is appropriate to be prepared and to continue MPB control work to reduce impacts. Detect newly infested pine beetle trees with green needles, right now. These trees with live brood were attacked last summer and will eventually turn red.

Harvest those green-needle beetle-infested trees and destroy the beetle brood inside them before this summer. This “suppression/sanitation” activity plus thinning and selective harvest to improve forest vigor and to regenerate the forest for age and species diversity is the only sustainable way to deter beetle epidemics.

Other news media reports wishfully talk of this winter’s cold effect on beetle populations. Remember, extreme cold caused beetle mortality is mostly possible very early fall or very late spring, before of after beetles have their natural winter-time cold hardiness.

This winter’s cold temperatures may play some role in returning beetle brood winter-mortality to normal levels, compared to recent-past mild-winter effects. Only careful examination under the bark will determine winter beetle-larva mortality.

Dead beetle larva will be dark gray or black compared to white and glistening red-headed live MPB larva. Live larva will move slightly when cupped in your hand for warmth or when placed inside your mouth. Evaluating the number of new MPB attack levels this coming summer will confirm beetle population strength as well as control effectiveness.

The Allenspark Beetle Control (ABC) organization’s beetle tree detection and suppression record keeping system is very important to track beetle trends. It can be accessed at ABC's website. Please report beetle trees detected, their location, and report completion of follow up treatment to destroy the brood.

Finally related to this subject of “what to expect about beetles,” we need to acknowledge “tantalizing” new beetle information. Scientists have recently discovered and recorded MPB generated noise. Researchers plan an attempt to stem the beetle epidemic’s tide, using these “beetle-chirp” noises, broadcast to confuse them. Newspaper editors love these kinds of stories.

Tree service companies still entice people with optimistic information to protect pines with yearly pesticide spray applications. Additionally, expensive pheromone scents are sold to try and fool beetles into attacking someone else’s trees, just as does spraying pesticides, and maybe faking beetle noise.

All of these fascinating endeavors may have some limited value to protect high value trees. But, for addressing the forest’s condition (the root cause of the beetle epidemic), this fun stuff can be categorized in one word, distraction. It is human nature to avoid the difficult, and distractions make it easy to do so. Like a bitter pill necessary to deal with budget deficits, cutting excess trees from our threatened forest is usually avoided with the false hope offered by distractions.

On the other hand, many Allenspark area landowners have already taken meaningful action to reduce beetle impacts with neighborhood beetle-detection patrols, suppression of beetle populations and thinning forest. Their positive actions have two important effects.

Suppression action reduces beetle population numbers rather than just giving a problem to neighbors. Also removing beetle trees and destroying brood and thinning trees reduces unwanted fuel from the forest, one tree or one forest area at a time, thereby helping reduce fire danger.

This leads to consideration of forest fires, and is the subject of the second caller’s questions.