Comments on: Pine beetles spreading into the US http://www.sindark.com/2009/07/11/pine-beetles-spreading-into-the-us/ Temporarily Torontonian Sun, 12 Feb 2012 08:01:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: . http://www.sindark.com/2009/07/11/pine-beetles-spreading-into-the-us/#comment-87810 . Tue, 23 Mar 2010 18:03:18 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/?p=5920#comment-87810 <a href="http://climateprogress.org/2010/03/16/bark-beetles-human-caused-climate-change-killing-the-great-forests-of-the-american-west/" rel="nofollow">Is human-caused climate change killing the great forests of the American West?</a> Montana entomologist on bark beetles: “A couple of degrees warmer could create multiple generations a year. If that happens, I expect it would be a disaster for all of our pine populations.” March 16, 2010 Climate change inherently favors invasive pests. On the one hand, milder winters since 1994 have reduced the winter death rate of beetle larvae in places like Wyoming from 80% per year to under 10%. On the other hand, hot-weather uber-droughts — aka “global-change-type droughts” — have made trees weaker, less able to fight off beetles. Forest Ecology and Management just published a major new study by 19 researchers around the word, “A global overview of drought and heat-induced tree mortality reveals emerging climate change risks for forests.” Its key conclusion — that human-caused climate change is already killing forests, releasing carbon, and amplifying warming — will be a shock only to the anti-science crowd. Is human-caused climate change killing the great forests of the American West?

Montana entomologist on bark beetles: “A couple of degrees warmer could create multiple generations a year. If that happens, I expect it would be a disaster for all of our pine populations.”

March 16, 2010

Climate change inherently favors invasive pests. On the one hand, milder winters since 1994 have reduced the winter death rate of beetle larvae in places like Wyoming from 80% per year to under 10%. On the other hand, hot-weather uber-droughts — aka “global-change-type droughts” — have made trees weaker, less able to fight off beetles.

Forest Ecology and Management just published a major new study by 19 researchers around the word, “A global overview of drought and heat-induced tree mortality reveals emerging climate change risks for forests.” Its key conclusion — that human-caused climate change is already killing forests, releasing carbon, and amplifying warming — will be a shock only to the anti-science crowd.

]]> By: oleh http://www.sindark.com/2009/07/11/pine-beetles-spreading-into-the-us/#comment-79845 oleh Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:57:28 +0000 http://www.sindark.com/?p=5920#comment-79845 I guess the pine beetle does not recognize borders. Are the US forests equally vulnerable, especially considering that our hope for the BC forests includes sustained cold weather which could be harder to achieve the further south we proceed. In June I completed a week of cycling in BC and Washington m including 5 days south of the border. I noticed the apparent lack of pine beetle induced red forests. PS to cyclists wishing to bicycle tour in BC and Washington, you may wish to consider more south of the border as it seemed that motor vehicular traffic is less south of the border and the riding can be quite good. I guess the pine beetle does not recognize borders. Are the US forests equally vulnerable, especially considering that our hope for the BC forests includes sustained cold weather which could be harder to achieve the further south we proceed.

In June I completed a week of cycling in BC and Washington m including 5 days south of the border. I noticed the apparent lack of pine beetle induced red forests.

PS to cyclists wishing to bicycle tour in BC and Washington, you may wish to consider more south of the border as it seemed that motor vehicular traffic is less south of the border and the riding can be quite good.

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