Beetlemania: an aerial tour of central Colorado forests infested by the Mountain Pine Beetle

[granolanutpunch]

Pretty dramatic and scary unless you live here and can see how quickly saplings are springing up to replace the dead mature trees.

I've spent my life in Eagle county (where Vail is) and was just as shocked and scared as anyone when the epidemic began but now I realize that this isn't a problem at all. Just the forest adjusting to never being allowed to burn and likely a scare tactic to allow more access to logging.

For every dead tree you see here, 3 or 4 saplings are racing to replace them.

[vexedweasel]

State and Federal officials say all of Colorado's Lodgepole pine will be dead in 3 years. The chief biologist of San Juan NF says 95% mortality of Spruce expected.

Clogged rivers, raging infernos, barren mountains.

The economy and recreation industry in Colorado should recover; in about 200 years.

[granolanutpunch]

@vexedweasel There's nothing that could kill all the pines in Colorado. They'd likely survive a nuclear war. The mountains are their preferred climate so they act like weeds here.

3 years after this vid was taken all of the areas shown are greener. The reason? Young pine trees fighting for more light suddenly have more light and have grown... like weeds, while the dead trees slowly fall and decompose into fertile topsoil.

It's pretty cool to watch a non logged forest take care of itself.