San Juan National Forest (SJNF) staff mislead the public on native bark beetle outbreaks in our forests, often wanting to just cut more trees to stop natural disturbances, but why, to save these trees to be logged later?
First, yes early 1900s clear-cut logging, which SJNF allowed, led to fast-growing trees now, which bark beetles love – the more food, the better. There was no SJNF apology for this major early mistake. Very large areas of the SJNF montane have relatively fast-growing, even-aged forests due to excessive and poorly designed high-grade logging. Second, is SJNF making another mistake now? Yes, native bark beetles are naturally eruptive, when they can kill large numbers, but usually not all trees. The ones they tend to leave are often slower growing, as shown by scientific research. Yet, slower-growing trees are more likely to survive future outbreaks, and also are more likely to survive increasing temperatures. By going in and thinning live trees, this will likely increase the growth of surviving trees, increasing the likelihood of future beetle outbreaks, and increasing direct mortality from rising temperatures. Is there a worry about creating more Gambel oak shrublands if mortality is heavy? SJNF did not worry about this when it earlier clear-cut large areas of montane forests for timber. Native bark beetles provide high-quality forest management, including adaptive thinning, creation of openings, and lots of snags for wildlife, ecosystem services bark beetles have provided free for millennia. They cannot be stopped. We can only observe and learn.
Dr. William L. Baker
Durango
