Free Republic

An unstoppable wave could devastate 3 million acres of lodgepole pines. Mountain pine beetles are obliterating a forest that stretches from British Columbia to Mexico, and in the process are creating a hazard for fire, public safety and water supply. “What we’re looking at is an entire lodgepole pine forest dying right before our eyes,”... Severson described the problem to the Colorado Water Congress at its convention last week.... More than 22 million acres eventually will be destroyed in the American West. Meanwhile, the beetles are making their way across Canada toward the Atlantic Ocean as well. The lack of...

The high heat that accompanied the recent drought was the underlying cause of death for millions of pinyon pines throughout the Southwest, according to new research. The resulting landscape change will affect the ecosystem for decades. Hotter temperatures coupled with drought are the type of event predicted by global climate change models. The new finding suggests big, fast changes in ecosystems may result from global climate change. "We documented a massive forest die-off -- and it's a concern because it's the type of thing we can expect more of with global warming," said research team leader David D. Breshears, a...

The US Army may have unwittingly killed hundreds of pine trees in an Italian hunting estate. Genetic analysis suggests that the trees were infected with an American fungus, imported by US troops during the Second World War. The Presidential Estate of Castelporziano, not far from Rome, was once home to 60 square kilometres of native Italian flora, including the Italian stone pine (Pinus pinea). Twenty years ago, estate staff noticed that the pine were beginning to rot. Today, a 100-metre barren gash reminds them where the trees once stood. In an attempt to track down the killer, researchers studied DNA...

Prehistoric pines coming to a garden near you September 19 2003 at 09:12AM Sydney - The Wollemi pine is so precious that anyone attempting to find the secret stands of the 150-million-year-old "living fossil" in Australia's south-east corner risks a fine of AUS$220 000 (about R1,6-million). But botanist Sally McGeoch said Friday that before the end of next year saplings of a species once thought extinct would be on sale in garden centres around the world. The pines are in commercial cultivation and 150 000 of them will be ready for release in 18 months. McGeoch, spokesperson for Wollemi Pine...