What exactly are bark beetles and can they really do that much damage?
These pesky little buggers are the size of a grain of rice. They naturally burrow into trees, lay their eggs and leave a fungus that turns the wood an interesting shade of blue. The larvae hatch and make a meal out of the tree’s inner bark, which sucks off vital nutrients from the tree. Well-fed, the larvae grow up, become adult beetles and fly away to another tree. In a healthy forest, most trees can withstand the nibbling larvae. The problem is, our trees have been weakened by on-going drought conditions and overcrowding. Nutrients from the tree roots are already struggling to flow up. Along comes Mr. Pine Beetle larvae to prey on the sickly tree and the next thing you know, you’re looking out at the once green mountains and all you see are dying red trees, which eventually turn into gray dead standing trees. The Forest Service estimates 100,000 trees will topple every day for the next decade, in just northern Colorado and southern Wyoming. By harvesting these trees and turning them
