Battle Mountain has pine-beetle plan

Vail Daily ^ | October 4, 2005 | staff

[george76]

Up to 3,000 lodgepole pine trees, newly infested by pine beetles are being cut down...

trying to slow the spread of the beetles that have infested forests in the valley, turning trees purplish and rusty brown.

“Like our neighbors to the north on Vail Mountain and elsewhere, we are committed to being good stewards of the land,” ... “We want to slow the infestation to help preserve habitat and mitigate the fire hazard caused by the dead lodgepoles.”

Trees 7 inches in diameter and larger will be cut down with a mechanical harvester.

Pine beetles kill trees when their larvae bore under the bark, bringing with them a fungus that cuts off the flow sap to the upper reaches of the tree.

By removing the infested trees, there are fewer beetles in the lodgepole stands that can infect new trees next summer.

Each infested tree left standing this year will result in three more infested trees next summer when a new crop of pine beetles hatch and fly to infest new trees.

Crews also will place piles of logging debris, also known as “slash,” in the forest to create habitat for snowshoe hares, said Eric Petterson, a biologist with Rocky Mountain Ecological Services, which is supervising the work.

Trees that are cut will be taken to a lumber mill and used for housing materials. The pine beetle management plan has been submitted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Too bad the enviro's "helped" save the trees: They wooden let them use effective pesticides, so now all that "natural forest" up in the liberal's favorite campgrounds, must be (HORRORS) clear-cut.

Of course, the same illiberal/enviro's are going to take pictures (mental and photo/TV) and CLAIM that this clear-cutting is Bush's fault for not to pposing the lumber industry!

[Belasarius]

Is the same critter thats killing the hemlocks here in PA? The wooly adgelid? I have friends in the forestry service and none every mentioned a pesticide for these. I know they were trying to raise beetles or wasps which would kill them. They cost about $150 a piece.

[Roses0508]

The enviros need to pay attention. If you don't do something, the trees die by the thousands and the deadwood becomes fuel for the next forest fire, which is then out of control from all the fuel, etc. Not only that, the next generation of trees gets infected.

Driving home the other night I saw a movement coming from the hill to my left and slammed on my brakes. Its a little country road all hilly and curvy and it was dark and you get wildlife and I wasn't sure what I saw. After a minute I realized that a beetle killed pine tree had fallen off the hill and been caught by the power line, but that the whole rig was hanging out OVER the road. I looked at it for awhile and then made the decision to go back rather than underneath. Its an area where your cell phone doesn't work, so you couldn't call for help if the thing dropped on top of you.

Joke in the south "a pine tree is toothpicks waiting to happen".

[Robert A Cook PE]

I only know it as the pine beetle.

Nasty critter: has killed millions of (local) pine trees: denuded yards in my neighborhood, local scout camps, etc.