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The dense older pine forests are prime habitats for mountain pine beetles. The beetle is native to the western United States (originally came from here). Mountain pine beetles dig their way into the trees. Along the way they cut off the important life lines that bring water and nutrients from the roots to the branches and needles. The many beetle holes in the tree let deadly fungus into the tree which kills the tree even quicker. The beetle holes inside the tree may eventually cause the tree to die. The tiny beetles can reproduce quickly and can kill large areas of pine forest in a very short time. The beetles feed on ponderosa, lodgepole, scotch, limber, bristlecone, and pinyon pine trees. So you may see that some mountain pine beetle damage is in the foothills, montane forests, and subalpine life zones.
In recent years, the western United States has had more warm and dry years, making it harder to for trees to get important water and nutrients throughout the year. Also, the warmer weather makes it easier for the beetles to survive over winter. Humans have also prevented many important smaller forest fires; thus, the beetles have had even larger areas of connected old and weakened old pine forests to feed on.
Once the trees die, the forests become an even greater danger. The forests are very dangerous to be in especially when it is windy. The wind may blow down many of the weak or dead trees smashing whatever they fall on. Forests fires can grow very fast and become super hot, burning thousands of acres of weak or dead forests quickly. The fires are super dangerous and will destroy anything in their path.
The beetle-killed forests are already a serious problem in many parts of Colorado and other western states. It is almost impossible stopping the beetles once they have moved to a new area of forest. However dangerous and ugly the results are for humans, the beetles and fire play an important role in clearing out old and overgrown pine forests so new healthy forests may grow again.
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