Pine Bark Beetle
One of my surveys had points with over fifty percent beetle kill. Spooky quiet. Almost no birds.
Although Pine Beetles can help renew the forest by killing off old and dying trees, infestations are sad. Warmer winters have allowed Pine Bark Beetles to proliferate and they have killed millions of pine trees from New Mexico to British Columbia, leaving forests more vulnerable to erosion and fire.
Beetles colonize trees under stress.
Things that stress trees out:
1. Drought
2. Dense Forest Stands
3. Shallow/rocky Soils
4. Fire Suppression
5. Past Forest Management Practices (like logging)
6. Past Grazing Practices
7. Urbanization
8. Pollution
Beetles eat the inner bark, which has the same effect as girdling (peeling off the bark) so nutrients from the leaves can't flow down to non-photosynthetic parts of the tree.
