Pine Bark Beetle Infestation
Destruction of the Forest
Pine bark beetles live in the inner bark of trees and cut off the nutrient flow slowly killing the tree. Usually the tree can detect a insect trying to cut off the nutrient flow and secrete sap where the insect enters to attempt to drown or suffocate the intruder, but with pine bark beetles they often swarm the trees and the tree cannot produce enough sap to kill all the beetles. The beetle can also cause exposure to the blue stain fungus which prevents the water from traveling upward.
Wood infected by the fungus has no use to anyone.
The beetle destroys the the wood
Pine Bark Beetle
Trees effected by beetles
Capability of beetle
Forest Fires
Forest Fires and Their Relationship to Pine Bark Beetles
Trees killed by pine bark beetles remain standing and are useless to loggers. During the forest fire season areas affected by the beetles tend to burn longer and more violently then areas not affected. There is no safe way to combat pine bark beetles once they are in the trees and no trees affected by the beetles have no uses to anyone