<\/p>\n
Invasive beetle kill has reached La Plata County, but forest officials are reminding residents that the evergreen trees in Southwest Colorado with needles turning yellow and orange is a natural shedding process.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a natural phenomenon, not beetle kill,\u201d said Colorado State Forest Service Forester Ryan Cox. \u201cA tree fading because of beetle kill would have the entire tree fading, not just the inner needles you see with these trees.\u201d<\/p>\n
The process is part of the evergreen\u2019s growth cycle, shedding old, interior needles on low portions of the crown and close to the trunk. The tree turns yellow, then a reddish-brown color a. This can be seen in early September through fall, sometimes even into early winter.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of the inquires received about the phenomenon relate to ponderosa pine, but other conifer species exhibit fall needle drop as well,\u201d said the Colorado State Forest Service in a prepared statement.<\/p>\n
However, beetle kill has reached La Plata County. Cox said reports of the die-off have been reported above Vallecito Reservoir, on the west side of the county near Mancos and even in the Shenandoah region.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s kind of hit or miss. It\u2019s all over the place,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
But Cox doesn\u2019t think the forests of La Plata County will experience the same devastation as the mountains around Wolf Creek, which are striking for the expanse of dead trees as a result of beetle kill.<\/p>\n
He said it\u2019s because Wolf Creek is at a higher elevation, which creates a habitat for spruce trees. There, the outbreak of spruce beetles has infested the mountainsides, creating a surreal landscape.<\/p>\n
In La Plata County, Cox said there are bark, pine and Ips beetles, but not in great numbers \u2013 yet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re at a lower elevation with more ponderosa and there hasn\u2019t been a big outbreak,\u201d he said. \u201cCertainly nothing like what happened up on the Front Range.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, Cox acknowledges a risk of a beetle-kill outbreak always exists, and the best preventive measure is \u201cgood forest management.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said that at the turn of 19th century, loggers for the mining and railroad industry created an even-age forest by excluding a natural fire regime from happening. As a result, pine forests are overgrown and dense.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll the trees are competing for the same resources \u2013 sunshine and water \u2013 weakening the entire forest,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The best practice, he said, is to thin out forests and create openings so fewer trees compete for a limited amount of nutrients. That way, the trees will be stronger and healthier to fight infestations.<\/p>\n
He couldn\u2019t pinpoint the exact amount of projects that are intended to fight beetle kill, but he said it happens often.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe undertake them on a case-by-case basis,\u201d he said. \u201cBut there\u2019s lots of stuff going on from us or other groups. There\u2019s a lot of grant money going into projects.\u201d<\/p>\n