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| 4/16/2009 3:24:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article |
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| One of the best ways to get rid of beetle-infested timber is to put it through a wood chipper. Here Jerry Andrews, head of the CMC Forestry Tech Program, demonstrates the chipper owned by CMC to those attending the Mountain Pine Beetle Identification and Mitigation Workshop on Saturday. If the beetles somehow make it through the chipper intact, they’ll soon dry out and die. A chipper can be rented for about $300 a day.
Photo by Marcia Martinek
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Some trees can be saved
by Marcia Martinek
Herald Editor
Homeowners attending the workshop Saturday on pine-beetle mitigation learned they can likely save their favorite lodgepole pine from the scourge, but they probably aren't going to be able to save the lodgepole pines in their favorite forest.
By 2012 it is possible that 90 percent of the lodgepole pine in the state will be lost to the pine beetle, Leadville District Ranger Jon Morrissey told those who attended the Mountain Pine Beetle Identification and Mitigation Workshop at CMC Saturday. In Grand County the battle is already over, and work has turned to salvaging dead trees before they topple and take down the power lines.
Right now, there is nothing homeowners can do for their trees except plan for this summer when the beetles begin to fly. Dr. Ingrid Aguayo, entomologist with the Colorado State Forest Service, said at this altitude, July is the time the beetles leave their old trees and attack a new host. Between July and August, pitch tubes will appear on the trees that have been attacked. Between August and April, the larvae will become apparent beneath the bark if it is peeled back, and the crown of the tree will begin dying. Between May and June the crown of the tree will turn yellow and then red by July as the bark beetles fly to seek a new tree.
The beetle is a natural phenomenon. Its role is to leave a gap in the forest for new trees. Normally beetles will attack trees 6" in diameter or more, but in this current epidemic they are also attacking smaller tees. Aguayo said.
Why the epidemic? Aguayo said it is a combination of the recent drought years and warm weather combined with the excess of mature and over-mature trees in our forests.
One of the reasons that Lake County has not been as severely affected as some of the other counties may be the colder temperatures here.
She suggests that homeowners decide during the fall and winter how they want to handle bark-beetle problems on their property.
If trees are infected, ways to kill the larvae include chipping the wood, burning it and solar treatment.
Once homeowners select the high-value trees they want to save that might be susceptible to the beetles, spraying the trees will usually serve to keep the beetles from attacking the tree. This should be done before the beetles fly in July and must be done only to trees that are not already infected.
Several chemicals can be used for spraying, the most effective apparently being Sevin XLR Plus, although no treatment is guaranteed. Aguayo suggests having a licensed applicator to treat the trees, and treatment may be required each year. There are regulations related to application of chemicals. For example the tree must be at least 75 feet from water.
Another possible treatment is pheromone packets, used one per tree, which fool the beetles into thinking the tree is already populated with beetles and causes them to move on.
The use of chemicals should not be abused.
If healthy conditions in the forest are maintained, trees will defend themselves, Aguayo said. Thin the forest, harvest mature trees and achieve species diversity.
Kathryn Hardgrave, also of the Colorado state forest service, spoke of the three zones homeowners should have around their dwellings for optimum safety from forest fires. In the first 15 feet, there should be nothing to burn. Grass and gravel are good choices here.
Out to 100 feet the crowns of the trees should be at least 10 feet apart, although lodgepole pine are not wind resistant so they may have to be a bit closer, she said.
Past 100-150 feet, the distance between the crowns of trees should be four feet.
Its also important to watch for items sparks can ignite around the house. Firewood, for example should not be stored on a porch or below a deck. There should be a screen on the chimney so large sparks can't come out and start a fire. The most fire-prone roof material is shake shingles.
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