During the months of July and August the adult pine beetles emerge. Females go through bark and into cambial area of tree Females emit pheromones to attract male and female Pine Beetles Male and Female mate under the bark Female makes egg gallery and places eggs in niches Larvae hatch in 7-10 days They form individual feeding tunnels When fully grown the larvae hollow out a pupal cell and pupate These new adults dig out and the cycle repeats

Endemic: in natural state Pine Beetles exist in… damaged trees lightening storms the presence of the Armillaria root rot time of a recent attack by bark beetles. Incipient: Rising Population In times of draught

Epidemic: Widely Prevalent Large availability of Phloem Healthy trees are attacked Declining: Population decreases fail to locate a host tree tree may exude enough resin to inhibit the larval development Predators woodpeckers Enoclerus lecontei Enoclerus sphegus Temnochila chlorodia Medetera aldrichii Parasites Lingering cold periods

The Mountain Pine Beetle Cold temperature Elevation Fire Insecticides Forest Fires Lightening Storms Draught Lack of Fires Soil Quality Lack of Nitrogen Elevation Lodgepole Pine

Healthy Trees Predators: Enoclerus lecontei Enoclerus sphegus Medetera aldrichii Temnochila chlorodia Woodpeckers- break through bark and eat larvae Parasites Roptrocerus xylophagorum Dinotiscus burkei Coeloides sp. nr. brunneri Lack of Phloem: Phloem is a living tissue that carries photosynthate to all parts of the plant Pine Beetles feed on this

Mountain Pine Beetles Deforestation Bluestain fungi Weevil Spruce spider mite Lodgepole sawfly Lodgepole Needle miner Sugar Pine Tortrix Pine Tube Moth Pandora Moth Dwarf Mistletoe

While developing, their niche is individual cells filled with frass. Frass: digested plant matter In adult stages: niche is the cambial layer of the Pine Tree which is filled with egg galleries made for offspring Lodgepole Pines are usually found at an elevation between 8,500 and 10,000 feet in the mountains. Mountain Pine Beetles are native to this area

All native and introduced pines are susceptible Likely to be harmed by a specific thing Become next years infection source Signs: Pitch Tubes or Small Holes Boring Dust Brown, Pink, Yellow, and White

Popcorn shaped, Pitch Tubes On trunk where tunnel begins Boring Dust In Bark crevices Evidence of Wood Pecker Patches of bark are removed Foliage Yellowish to Reddish 8 to 10 months after attack Presence of Live Mountain Pine Beetle Blue Stained Sap wood

Increase in elevation comes a decrease in temperature and an increase in precipitation Rocky Mountains in West and Plains in East, Foothills between the two Climate Change in 100 Years: Rising Temperatures Increased precipitation Altered surface water flow Warmed faster than the U.S. average Temperature increases at higher and lower altitudes Further in future likely to see higher temperatures and more precipitation Water resources to become less secure Summer and Winter Temps. to increase by 5 degrees Fall and Spring Temps to increase by 3 degrees

Colorado State Forest Service (CSFS) Provides forestry recommendations Implementation assistance Private land owners Communities CSFS Nursery Seedling Tree Program Tree planting Benefit the environment

Management: Burning, burying, chipping or removing infested logs Solar treatments Peel away bark by hand or mechanically Chemical controls Climate Extreme cold temperatures reduce population Temperature of 30 degrees below zero for five days Temperature influences everything in their life Number of Eggs

Importance of Forests in Colorado: Photosynthesis Remove Co2 from atmosphere and store it in organic compounds (biomass) Help to stabilize earth’s temperature Slow global warming Habitat for Colorado’s wildlife Impact of Mountain Pine Beetle Eruption: Economy Trees Destroyed Halts production of timber Money to kill beetles Ecology Destroys Habitats

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