Transcript The Investigation of the Mountain Pine Beetle

The Investigation of the
Mountain Pine Beetle
By:
Jessie Wormer
Hannah Armstrong
1.Life Cycle of the Mountain Pine Beetle
As larvae, pine beetles tunnel away from the egg gallery they came from
under the bark of a tree. This produces a characteristic feeding pattern.
As adults (pine beetles have a 1-year life cycle in Colorado) they leave the
dead trees they developed in. Females generally seek out large
diameter trees, however during epidemics (like the one in Colorado)
they settle for smaller diameter.
If a mated pair is successful, they will have formed a vertical tunnel under
the bark and produce about 75 eggs.
Life Cycle of the Lodgepole Pine Tree
• A forest of lodgepole pines most commonly ends with a stand
replacing fire every 200-350 years.
• After about 15 years serotinous cones open and produce
seedlings.
• Young stands are 50-100 years old
• Middle age stands are 100-175 years
• Old age stands are up to 230 years.
2.Growth Phases of Mountain
Pine Beetle Populations
• Epidemic: The outbreak or product of
sudden rapid spread, growth, or
development.
• Populations are usually large,
economically significant outbreaks.
• Population growth rates are density
dependent.
3. Abiotic Limiting Factors
• Temperature (cannot survive in extreme
cold)
• Altitude
• Sunlight (intensity, duration)
• pH of soil
4.Biotic Controls
• Woodpeckers
• Insects (clerid beetles)
5.The Niche of the Mountain
Pine Beetle
• Native to North America
• Pacific Coast, Black Hills of South Dakota, British
Columbia, Western Alberta, North western Mexico.
• They can range in altitudes from sea level to 11,000 feet.
• They mostly prey on the lodgepole, ponderosa, sugar, and
western white pines.
• Pine forests are sometimes converted to grass and shrubs
due to infestation
• This can change wildlife species composition by altering
hiding and thermal cover.
6. The effects of the Mountain
Pine Beetle
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During an epidemic beetles can kill two or more trees following their
emerge from an infested tree.
During an epidemic attacks involve most large trees, not just trees
under stress from injury, poor site conditions, fire damage, over
crowding, root disease or old age.
This loss of trees can increase water yeild in certain areas over
time.
The obvious: The deaths of millions of trees.
7: Analyze the signs and symptoms of an
.
infected/disease
• -Fires fire intensity soil ruined, seed dies secondary
succession
• -tree mortality
• -Pine beetles benefits from a warming climate
• -feeds on tree tissue
• -boring dust in bark crevices
• -foliage turning yellowish to reddish through tree crown
• -blue stained sapwood
• -presence of beetle eggs or larvae
8: Synthesize the climate of Colorado and identify how it
has changed in the last 100 years.
• -changed wetter winters, warmer summers
• -spring and summer snow cover has decreased in
western mountains by 15-30% since 1950
• -Hotter temperatures
• -drier climate
• -snowmelt quicker
• -rivers lower
• -less snowfall
9: Synthesize how Colorado forests have been
managed in the last 100 years.
To control Beetles:
• -peel bark away
• -chemical
Forests in General:
• -Fire suppression
• -small scale harvesting
systems
• -forest agricultural tax plans
• -American tree far plans
Management Continued
From beetles:
• Natural controls
• woodpeckers  insects that eat larvae
under bark
• cold temperatures
10: Evaluate how climate and management practices
might influence beetle populations.
-beetles cannot survive
cold winters as larvae
-global warming warmer
summers and drier
winters causing better
habitat for beetles
-chemicals to kill beetles
makes larvae
population die off
11: Evaluate the importance of forests in Colorado and the impacts
of the current Mountain Pine beetle eruption on the ecology and
economy of Colorado.
Forests:
Everyday life products
Biodiversity in specific
habitats
Prevent soil erosion
Watershed Protection
Climate moderation
Carbon Storage
Mountain Pine Beetle
Impacts on the Ecology
and Environment
• Now a large carbon
source
• Increased forest fires
• Release megatonnes of
carbon dioxide
• Mortality of trees
• Reduces capability to use
greenhouse gases
Impacts on the Economy
in Colorado
• Colorado's Department of
Energy gave $30 million
to the construction of the
state's first cellulosic
ethanol plant
• converts beetle kill into
ethanol
References
• ECOREGION: Western Forests and Mountains - Rauscher, S.A,
J.S. Pal, N.S. Diffenbaugh, and M.M. Benedetti. (2008) Future
changes in snowmelt-driven runodd timing over the western US,
Geophys Res.
• Trzcinski, M.K, and Reid, M.L. (2009) Intrinsic and extrinsic
determanists of Mountain Pine Beetle Population growth
agricultural and forest Entomology.
• Lodgepole Ecology - Wild Rocky Mountain Research Station
• Barkbeetles.org/mountain/fid12.htm
• Mountain Pine Beetle - Leatherman, D.A, Aguayo, I, and Mehall
T.M.
References Continued
• http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/insect/05528.html
• http://www.nrdc.org/globalwarming/west/west.pdf
• http://home.comcast.net/~coloradoforestmanagement
/index_files/Page470.htm
• http://wwf.panda.org/about_our_earth/about_forests/i
mportance/