There has been a tremendous outpouring of concern and press in recent years about the pine beetle infestation of the lodgepole pine trees, particularly in the state of Colorado. Indeed, many have speculauted that in the next three to five years, the pine beetles will have killed the vast majority of lodgepole pine trees in the region, which will lead to devestating impacts on the environment, various ecosystems, the overall landscape, and will ultimately change the shape of skiing out west for a long, long time.
Having grown up skiing in Colorado and now having a second home there, this has become a growing personal concern of mine, however, I didn't realize the severity of the situation until I was on vacation there last week. The amount of destruction is astounding. Where once healthy, green, vibrant, majectic trees stood thousands strong, now one finds brown sickly trees and far too many empty space where their kin have fallen. On one hike we took in Rocky Mountain National Forest my husband and I remarked how it looked like a tree graveyead; it was horribly tragic.
While I don't know enough about remedial measures, I am trying to educate myself and learn about the various ways in which the federal, state and local governments can try to encourage growth of new trees, while removing the millions of dead ones, and try its best to preserve the beauty and stability of this region.
In tribute to the lost trees, and those currently infected that will undoubtedly die, I took this photo of a strong, vibrant, healthy looking tree on Winter Park Moutnain, just basking in the sunlight and enjoying life.
No comments:
Post a Comment