A massive outbreak of the small bark beetle in Wyoming and Colorado has led to the damage of over 3.5 million acres of national forest land and the US Forest Service is trying to find ways to keep the damage to a minimum. One of the most dangerous after-effects of the beetle is the falling of dead trees (attacked by the beetle). USFS is now proactively addressing the issue and will be working to clear dead trees that pose safety and access issues.
Initially, the focus has been on removing the dead trees because they pose a serious hazard in a wildfire, and removal has begun around communities. But now officials are expanding the removal to include areas near power lines and campgrounds. Jan Burke, the forest health coordinator for the White River National Forest says of the impending tree removal, “These trees are going to hit the ground. All trees die at some point, and all trees fall over at some point, and we have an unusually large number of them poised to do so at this point in time.”
The beetle infestation is currently the number one priority for the Forest Service in the Wyoming-Colorado region; and funding has already increased from a budget of $1 million to $11 million this fiscal year. Luckily, a quiet fire season hasn’t added to the damage, but the USFS is still trying to determine the best way to remove the trees, without: a) scarring the landscape tremendously, b) damaging trails with equipment, and c) leaving dead, fallen trees throughout the forest. Officials are warning visitors to expect a change in scenery, and that unfortunately, some areas where the infestation was extremely heavy may take on the appearance of clear-cutting. Plans for replanting are in the works to repair the damage done by the bark beetle (after the infestation has been controlled).
Officials are already seeing one the benefits of die-off in some of the more heavily forested areas: areas are opening up to allow more species of trees to grow in their place.
Read more about the project in The Daily Sentinel.
