I saw this article in the Great Falls Tribune.
Archive for May, 2010
Hotspot – Showdown Ski Resort – Neihart, MT
May 17th, 2010Mountain Pine Beetle are Not Acting How They Should
May 14th, 2010I went to Estes Park to find the truth about the mountain pine beetle. The darkness at the heart of an invading colony would make even Joseph Conrad turn away.
Interest in the pine beetle in the Estes Valley is high. There were over 150 people at the talk given by beetle chaser, David Leatherman, who has logged over a million miles by car, plane and shoe leather to research the beetle. There was a lot of sex, drugs but not enough rock n roll for my taste.
I attended two smaller panels. Pretty much every chair was taken. Mostly local homeowners, some spray companies and related vendors. There were 22 vendors pitching everything from tree thinning and tree removal to landscape design, timber and wood reclamation firms specializing in the blue stain wood created by beetle kill trees. There were product vendors selling pherenomes, chitosan based fertilizers and a dancer that performs a warding-off-the-beetle jig on your property. Just kidding about the last one.
I’ll have more to say about pherenomes later. However according to Sky Stephens’ presentation they have only been tested in conjunction with preventive spraying of carbaryl and permethrin like this test in Aspen.
Leatherman is slowly making his way off into the sunset and there are several younger folks such as Stephens and Boyd Lebeda of Colorado State Forest Service and Chris Dahl, the Park Ranger at Rocky Mountain National Park who are poised to continue adding to the body of knowledge on the beetle.
This beetle does scare people. Scott Zurn, the Head of Public Works for Estes Park alluded to some denial in the town. I don’t blame the beetle deniers. When you drive in on Route 34 you hardly see any signs. There is even a map of positive hits in the Estes Valley and it’s just a handful.
However, from what I saw and heard, and after reviewing the scientific and anecdotal evidence, it seems like barring a tremendously cold 2010 to 2011 winter, that the mountain pine beetle will start hitting the valley hard in 2011. The hope is that ponderosa pines, which have more of a variety in age and bio-diversity than lodgepole pines will withstand the epidemic better.
Tree Symposium – Random Notes
May 8th, 2010Random thoughts about this fine event.
- The mountain pine beetle “does not read the book” on how it’s supposed to behave.
- Could the dreaded MPB be focusing it’s sights on the lowly spruce and tiny pines? Or munching on scotch pine? And if so does it light it up like a stoplight?
- Rare scotch pine and spruce hits have turned up, at least in Rocky Mountain National Park. The thought is that when the beetles colonize a less attractive tree species it does not fare nearly as well.
- The eastern stands in Rocky may avoid the harsh epidemic of the west due to the diversity of the ponderosa pine over the lodgepole.
- Another theory discussed was the blue stain fungus helps the beetle itself thrive, but may not be the direct culprit in death. Sort of an accessory after the fact.
- Lost trees affect up to 25% of home value, especially for second homes I assume.
Estes Park Tree Symposium
May 6th, 2010The Estes Park Tree Symposium is this Saturday, May 8th, 2010 starting at 8am. It is a gathering of botanists and entomologists, civic leaders from western Larimer County and beyond, citizens and vendors who get together to share ideas and best practices.
The mountain pine beetle will be the big topic of discussion. I’m hoping to get some interviews with David Leatherman and the City Foresters of Fort Collins, Tim Buchanan or Ray Zentz.
It is being held at the Holiday Inn in Estes Park and it is free to the public.
