Pine beetles spreading
Posted: Monday, August 25, 2008
STURGIS, S.D. (AP) -- Mountain pine beetle infestations in the Black Hills are spreading, although foresters are working to stem the outbreaks.
The first major outbreak occurred in 1997 in the Sturgis area of the northern hills. Pine beetles have since spread to the central portion of the Black Hills, consuming a large portion of the Black Elk Wilderness, the area near Harney Peak and surrounding territory.
The U.S. Forest Service estimates that half of the wilderness area is infected.
"We are at the point in the Black Hills where whole hillsides are dying and that is not the effect we want," says Kurt Allen, a federal entomologist.
"The scale of dead stands has grown to be too big," he adds.
Allen says the pine mortality rate around Harney Peak will be 100 percent if the outbreak cannot be stopped.
"The biggest defense for saving trees is thinning out stands by logging, fuel reduction, or just thinning the trees," he says.
The beetles tend to go after denser stands of trees, Allen says.
The Forest Service has already conducted a number of large projects to combat pine beetles by thinning and harvesting trees.
But Allen says human intervention is not allowed in the Black Elk Wilderness area, and nature will be allowed to take its course there.
The beetles do have a positive role in nature, he says.
Woodpeckers and other birds eat the insects on dying and dead trees, and dead trees also complete the forest cycle, he says.
Allen says the pine beetle epidemic will be an ongoing problem, and there is no easy solution.
"The beetles keep us from meeting management objectives of the forest because things are dying too fast," he says.
The first major outbreak occurred in 1997 in the Sturgis area of the northern hills. Pine beetles have since spread to the central portion of the Black Hills, consuming a large portion of the Black Elk Wilderness, the area near Harney Peak and surrounding territory.
The U.S. Forest Service estimates that half of the wilderness area is infected.
"We are at the point in the Black Hills where whole hillsides are dying and that is not the effect we want," says Kurt Allen, a federal entomologist.
"The scale of dead stands has grown to be too big," he adds.
Allen says the pine mortality rate around Harney Peak will be 100 percent if the outbreak cannot be stopped.
"The biggest defense for saving trees is thinning out stands by logging, fuel reduction, or just thinning the trees," he says.
The beetles tend to go after denser stands of trees, Allen says.
The Forest Service has already conducted a number of large projects to combat pine beetles by thinning and harvesting trees.
But Allen says human intervention is not allowed in the Black Elk Wilderness area, and nature will be allowed to take its course there.
The beetles do have a positive role in nature, he says.
Woodpeckers and other birds eat the insects on dying and dead trees, and dead trees also complete the forest cycle, he says.
Allen says the pine beetle epidemic will be an ongoing problem, and there is no easy solution.
"The beetles keep us from meeting management objectives of the forest because things are dying too fast," he says.
Story Comments
Read More and Post Comments 0 comment(s)
Please note: The following are comments from readers. In no way do they represent the views of The Sioux City Journal or Lee Enterprises. We will not edit or alter your comments, but we do reserve the right to not post or to remove comments that violate our code of conduct. No comment may contain potentially libelous statements; obscene, explicit or racist language; personal attacks, insults or threats. Terms of Service
