Spruce beetle<\/div>\n
The spruce beetle epidemic started on Wolf Creek Pass in the late 1990s. Though native to the land, the insect\u2019s toll was exacerbated as drought, warmer winters and dense forests created perfect conditions for rapid spread.<\/p>\n
Over the past nearly two decades, the spruce beetle tore through more than 120,000 acres of the Weminuche Wilderness, which at almost 500,000 acres, is Colorado\u2019s largest designated wilderness area.<\/p>\n
In more recent years, the spruce beetle has chomped through trees farther west in the Weminuche, around Vallecito Reservoir. The insect eventually was able to cross over the eastern flank of the continental divide in the past couple years.<\/p>\n
Now, forest researchers are noting more and more pockets of dead trees along the scenic drive between Durango and Silverton on U.S. Highway 550.<\/p>\n
Dan West, an entomologist with the Colorado State Forest Service, said a total of 13,000 acres of newly affected trees were noted in this year\u2019s aerial survey in La Plata County \u2013 the third highest in the state.<\/p>\n
In San Juan County, an estimated 6,000 acres of newly affected trees were documented. For both these counties, a total of 66,000 acres has been hit by the spruce beetle outbreak since 1996.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis past year, it started to become much more visible,\u201d West said. \u201cWe\u2019re really starting to see widespread mortality.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been a perfect storm for the beetle\u2019s spread in Southwest Colorado.<\/p>\n
Every year, the Colorado State Forest Service with the U.S. Forest Service conducts an aerial survey of Colorado\u2019s 24.4 million acres of forested lands, looking for new areas of beetle kill.<\/span>Courtesy of Dan West<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>Drought weakens a tree\u2019s ability to fight off the insect. With warmer winters, more beetles are able to survive the cold months. And dense forest stands allow beetles to travel with ease.<\/p>\n
For the most part, it\u2019s hard to do anything proactive to stop the outbreak, West said. Most areas affected are in steep, difficult terrain. So outside some spots where tree thinning makes sense, logging is largely not feasible.<\/p>\n
So, will the drive from Durango to Silverton get as bad as the stark beetle kill vistas on the drive over Wolf Creek Pass?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really tough to say, but that\u2019s what we\u2019re hoping doesn\u2019t happen,\u201d West said. \u201cBut you can tell on the slopes, it\u2019s here and intensifying.\u201d<\/p>\n
Culpepper said people who live here and enjoy the mountains should brace themselves for change.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone driving 550 will start noticing dead stands this year \u2026 and that will be a big shock to folks,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Culpepper said he\u2019s noticed other areas of beetle kill farther up in the high country around Silverton, in areas around the upper Animas River, Stony Pass and in Maggie and Minnie gulches.<\/p>\n
Seeing the places we love change and trees die can be emotional, he said, but it\u2019s important to keep it in perspective.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe beetles are endemic, and it\u2019s a process that\u2019s part of our landscape,\u201d he said. \u201cIt may be exacerbated by changing climate and changing conditions \u2026 but we have to adapt to that change.\u201d<\/p>\n
Roundheaded beetle<\/div>\n
What\u2019s happening to ponderosa pines outside Dolores is concerning, shocking and a bit of a mystery.<\/p>\n
Forest researchers first noted roundheaded beetles killing ponderosa pines in an area north of Dolores, known as the Glade, as early as 2011. Every year, West said, the acreage affected has doubled.<\/p>\n
The roundheaded beetle is ravaging ponderosa pines outside Dolores in an area known as the Glade. The affected area totals an estimated 27,000 acres.<\/span>Courtesy of Dan West<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>But in the past two years, the beetles\u2019 impact has shot up. An estimated 11,000 acres were affected in 2017. That number increased to 27,000 acres in 2018.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s at an exponential growth rate right now,\u201d West said.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s driving this unprecedented spread is still unknown, but most suspect it is driven by the drought in Southwest Colorado.<\/p>\n
The roundheaded beetle ranges from Guatemala to the Rockies, so the insect is native to this region. But in New Mexico, for instance, the beetle builds up over a year or two and then experiences a population die-off.<\/p>\n
Researchers believe the drought in Southwest Colorado is paving the way for these beetles to thrive. Last year, for example, was the warmest year on record dating back 124 years, and the second driest year dating back to 1895.<\/p>\n
West said the Colorado State Forest Service and the U.S. Forest Service are putting together a broad-scale tree-thinning project to help save trees where it\u2019s possible and try to reduce wildfire danger.<\/p>\n
The Durango Herald<\/em> was unable to reach anyone with the U.S. Forest Service because of the partial government shutdown.<\/p>\nDespite all the seemingly doom and gloom news, West did offer one optimistic tidbit about the beetle outbreak in Colorado.<\/p>\n
Of Colorado\u2019s 24.4 million acres of forested land, only 21 percent has been affected by beetle kill since 1996.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that\u2019s a glass half empty, glass half full thing,\u201d West said. \u201cBut still, that\u2019s four-fifths of forests not impacted.\u201d<\/p>\n
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