Mpb Infestation

impacted more than 3.4 million-acres of Colorado forestland from 1996-2013.

Popcorn-shaped masses of resin, called pitch-tubes, which may be brown, pink or white in color, will be found on the trunk where the beetle began tunneling. Boring dust may be found in bark crevices or on the ground immediately adjacent to the tree base.Evidence of woodpeckers feeding on the trunk may indicate MPB infestation. Patches of bark may be missing where the woodpecker was feeding, and bark flakes may be found on the ground below the tree.

The number of dead, standing trees in Colorado forests has increased almost 30 percent over the past seven years

more than 830 million dead trees in Colorado forests, nearly one out of every 14 trees.

mountain pine beetle epidemic has impacted almost 3.4 million acres.
About 80 percent of the state’s population relies on forested watersheds for municipal water supplies, the report said.“With increasing changes in our forests, now is the time for determining how we will manage for projected future conditions,” said Mike Lester, state forester and director of the Colorado State Forest