An aerial survey released by the U.S. Forest Service in February shows bark-beetle populations spreading across Colorado over the past 20 years. In the Roaring Fork Valley, the Douglas fir beetle is most prominent. Forestry experts say local forests might change dramatically as beetle populations grow and climate change worsens.
Beetles once evolved naturally alongside trees and kept forests healthy. The insects typically accelerated unhealthy trees' demise and decomposition process, but now the beetles are more likely to attack healthy ones.
Halle Zander reports on the beetle activity in the Roaring Fork Valley and what we might expect our forests to look like in the future. It’s the first installment of our series “In the Woods,” which looks at the links between local trees and climate change.
Support for “In the Woods” comes from The Longview Foundation of Minnesota.
