Once one hears about the more than 100 bark beetles native to Colorado, who enjoy fine dining on our trees, it becomes amazing we have any forests at all.
“But trees aren’t sitting ducks out there,” Colorado State Forest Entomologist Dan West told about 30 people who attended a forest-health workshop Wednesday evening at the La Plata County Fairgrounds. “They’re defending themselves. Healthy trees will flush resin out a duct, and when a female beetle tries to get in and lay her eggs, she’ll get stuck and die.”
The problem that is leading to so much die-off in places such as Wolf Creek Pass is that many trees are not healthy because of the lingering drought – they’re stressed.
West gave a quick beetle primer before getting into the different types, which usually are identified by what kind of tree they attack, what part of the tree they attack and their egg-laying patterns. The Colorado State Forest Service not only manages the state forests, it provides support to private landowners who are trying to determine if their trees are under attack and by what.
“As managers, it’s important to remember that all management is not bad if it can increase the vigor of trees, West said. “There’s lots of information about stand management for different types of beetles and different species of trees on our website.”
Visit www.csfs.colostate.edu to learn more.
abutler@durangoherald.com
