A hiker in Indian Peakes Wilderness Area
photo by Ryan Ludlow
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The Great Bark Beetle Outbreak: Our Changing Forests
One hundred years from now Front Range Coloradans will look back at this time in history and think about what it must have been like to live through the Great Bark Beetle Outbreak of the 21st Century. Landscapes of forests, throughout the Rocky Mountain West, are ending their lifecycle and beginning again as a sea of new seedling trees. In Colorado more than 2 million acres of mature lodgepole pines have already succumbed to attack; Montana has lost almost the same amount and in British Columbia, beetles have impacted more than 35 million acres of pine forest. Western forests are going through enormous changes that modern Americans have never experienced before. This bark beetle outbreak is truly a continent-wide phenomenon that is changing the way we think of our western disturbance-driven forest ecosystems. Next time you visit the forests of Colorado take in the views and realize that the forest you see today may never look the same in your lifetime. Nature has given us the unique opportunity to witness the end of an old forest and the development of a new one.
Despite the scope and intensity of this bark beetle outbreak, our western forests will return and over time will re-establish into hillsides of mature green trees. Before our forests can return communities, recreationists and forestry businesses are going to have to adapt and learn to deal with the new challenges that bark beetles have brought us. Land management agencies are quickly adapting to the changing landscape and are developing long-term management plans that will help to re-establish the natural systems that keep our forests healthy. In the near term, red and dead trees are now a part of our lives and there are actions that recreationists, homeowners and communities can take to keep themselves safe from hazardous dead trees.
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A backpacker near Hessie Trailhead in Indian Peaks Wilderness
photo by Bryan Ludlow |
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A Message to Recreationist: Watch Out!
Bark beetles are quickly gaining a foothold in higher elevation Front Range forests and over the coming years recreationists should expect to see many pine trees succumb to beetle attack. As trees die they quickly become a hazard and pose a tremendous risk of falling on trail users. As much as possible you should avoid travelling though sections of dead trees, especially on windy days. Due to the landscape nature of this beetle outbreak, land management agencies won’t be able to clear every hazardous tree and it is your responsibility to keep yourself safe. Trees will fall across trails, especially during days of high wind, but if you keep your wits and maintain awareness of conditions around you can avoid being hit by trees. As you plan your trip to the mountains check with local land management agencies to ensure your favorite trails and campgrounds are open. In addition, as you venture out onto the trail you should expect to hear the sounds of chainsaws and chippers working away to clear the dead trees from your favorite recreation areas.
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A Boulder County home impacted by beetle kill
photo by Bryan Ludlow |
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A Message for Homeowners: You are the Steward of your Land!
As this outbreak continues to unfold along the Front Range, landowners will face an immediate challenge of needing to remove backyards full of dead red trees. Beetle killed trees will quickly become falling hazards and your homes, driveways, power lines, propane tanks and roads are at risk of being hit by dead trees. By removing dead trees we not only make our communities safer from falling trees, but also safer from future wildland fire. Now that we are in the heart of this beetle outbreak we are required to respond and if we plan accordingly we can start making changes on our land that will lead to future forests that are healthy and green.
This outbreak is an opportunity to generate much needed awareness around the need for active management in our disturbance-driven forest ecosystems. It is an opportunity to better understand the ecology that drives our forest ecosystems and to begin understanding the impacts that actions (or lack of action) taken today will have on our future forests. Disturbances like fire and bark beetles are vital components of a healthy forest ecosystem and when they are excluded forests quickly become overcrowded and highly susceptible to insect and disease outbreaks. This bark beetle outbreak is an opportunity to change our views of the forest and create plans today that will positively influence the health of our future forests.
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A Boulder County home with numerous dead trees
photo by Bryan Ludlow
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Our Ecosystems are Changing - How will you respond?
There is no question that the great bark beetle outbreak of the 21st century will go down in the history books! The big question is if it will be seen as tragedy or an opportunity. What I hope comes out of this outbreak is a new found sense of place and a realization that our forests are not static and need to be actively managed to stay healthy. Bark beetles are nature’s way of revitalizing and starting forests over again, and are a vital component of a healthy forest ecosystem. I hope that in 100 years Coloradoans can look around at their green healthy forests and realize that the forests they see in the 22nd century were shaped by individuals and land management agencies that saw the great bark beetle epidemic of the 21st century as an opportunity to become active stewards of the land.
If you have questions about bark beetle management, forest ecology or want to learn more about becoming an active steward of your land, feel free to contact me directly by e-mail at pinebeetle@bouldercounty.org or by phone at 720-564-2641.
Ryan Ludlow
Forestry Education and Outreach Coordinator
Boulder County Forest Health Initiative |
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Mountain pine beetle killed trees near Fourth of July trailhead
photo by Bryan Ludlow
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