Forest Stewardship Tip of the Day: Beetle Infestation Rates Continue to Decline – Providing Hope for the Future!

The results are in, for the third consecutive year in a row the total number of acres with active mountain pine beetle infestations has declined statewide. This is great news and provides landowners in Boulder County with hope and motivation to keep aggressively fighting beetles in their backyard forests. There is still a great deal of uncertainty about how severe and how long the outbreak will last in our County, but right now is a critical time for you to keep fighting. If the trends of declining beetle populations continue your efforts today could be the reason you have greater numbers of healthy trees remaining after the outbreak is over.   

As we look at the 2011 aerial survey results, it is important to note that we are not out of the woods yet. The Northern Front Range and specifically our neighbors to the north in Larimer County continue to experience the highest mortality rates in the state, affecting both lodgepole and ponderosa pine trees. Despite this grim news, the 2011 survey results actually suggest that the beetle outbreak is slowing in both counties. Aerial survey results from the previous year flight data (2010) for Boulder County showed 26,000 acres of newly impacted forest; as compared to the most recent data from 2011 which showed a decline down to only 16,000 acres new. The same pattern of decline was observed in Larimer County with 183,000 newly impacted acres in 2010 and 100,000 acres new in 2011.  

Get out there and keep fighting those pesky beetles! With a little luck and aggressive action from landowners there is a chance that you can change the total impacts beetles have on your local backyard forest!

The US Forest Service and Colorado State Forest Service issued a joint press release concerning the 2011 insect and disease aerial survey results.
Read it here: http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r2/news-events/?cid=STELPRDB5350516 

Here is a link to 2011 Aerial Detection Statewide Map:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5348807.pdf 

Here is a link to a more comprehensive look at 2011 Aerial Detection Survey Results:
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r2/forest-grasslandhealth/?cid=stelprdb5348787 

Here is a link to a recent report that looks at the efforts the US Forest Service (USFS) is making to increase the amount and quality of forest restoration work on our public lands. The report provides a nice overview of issues that the USFS faces and helps paint a picture about why it is so important to be good stewards of our forested lands. Take a look if you have some free time!
Read it here: http://www.fs.fed.us/publications/restoration/restoration.pdf

Cheers,
Ryan

Ryan Ludlow | Forestry Education & Outreach Coordinator 
Boulder County | Land Use Department
P.O. Box 471, Boulder CO 80306
O: 720.564.2641 | F: 303.441.4856
rludlow@nullbouldercounty.org | www.bouldercounty.org/ForestHealth

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