For the fourth year in a row, the damage caused by spruce beetles to Colorado forests has increased, a stark contrast to the widespread infection of mountain pine beetles that seems to have died down, according to The Denver Post. The spruce beetle now has 182,000 acres of newly infected forests, which brings the total number of infected acres to 409,000 across the state and has caused a wide range of tree death to approximately 1.6 millions acres across the state since 1996, as outlined in a new report. Despite these high numbers, the damages have yet to eclipse those made by the mountain pine beetle.
In addition to the spruce beetle threat, the western spruce budworm and the Douglas-fir tussock moth are also expanding their reach, with almost 340,000 affected acres of conifer forests last year alone.
The previous pine beetle infestation that took over Colorado, Wyoming and South Dakota has affected an area of land that is approximately the size of Massachussets.
"The lesson we can take away from the extensive insect and disease damage we've seen in Colorado over the past two decades is the need for proactively taking care of our forests," State Forester Mike Lester said. "The best time to take actions to address long-term forest health is before a major outbreak starts, and not after."
However, due to the fact that spruce trees tend to be located in wetter, higher-elevation areas with larger separations between them than lodgepole pines, which were attacked by the pine beetle infestation, the current infestation is not likely to cover as big of an area, the Associated Press reported.
Some of the main factors contributing to the spruce beetle infestation include blown-down trees, drought stress, increasing temperatures and a high density level.
On the bright side, aspen trees, which are common on mountainsides and known for their bright autumn colors, are faring better after worries rose due to damage and die-offs from drought in previous years, according to ABC News.
