01/27/09 Beetle Invasion

Not since the British rock invasion has a beetle made such an impact. The beetle I'm speaking of is the mountain pine beetle which has chewed its way through literally millions of trees in forests across America. Colorado alone is facing enormous devastation from this pest no bigger than the size of your fingertip. Sadly there is no stopping this beetle once she has started; scientists say all they can do is let nature run its course. The finger of blame however is not only pointed at the mountain pine beetle but at the fact that forest management practices put into effect over the last several years have left the forests highly susceptible to just such a catastrophe. Decades of logging restrictions and fire suppression left the forests jam packed with the beetle's favorite food, century old lodgepole pines. With the very best of intentions we have ended up hurting the very thing we were trying to protect. Now we will just have to let Mother Nature repair the damage, and she will; she's a resilient old girl.