Most of the forest around us is about 70% mature lodgepole pine and that is what the beetles are killing. The rest of the trees are Aspen, Spruce, Fir and young Lodgepole and those are not affected by the beetles. In most places the actual result of the beetle kill is a good thinning of the forest. The forest will change for sure, but mother nature will compensate by the other trees. Everyone is cleaning the dead trees as fast as they can to alleviate the fire danger and the Aspens are filling in the bare spots. We have a lot of young Engelman Spruce and Sub-alpine Fir growing on our properties. There is also a lot of mature Fir and Spruce that are healthy. The drought in our area over the last few years and the warm winters have added to the problem. A good old fashioned cold winter will kill the beetles and stop the spread. The last beetle uprising was in the mid sixties.

It is interesting to note that it is not actually the beetles that kill the tree. A blue fungus that the beetles carry is what kills the tree. If you have ever seen a beetle killed tree you can see the blue stain in the outer third of the wood.

The good news is that logs in our area are usually pretty cheap. Free for cutting in most areas. Mother nature will not be denied.

Just wanted to ping this subject to let everyone know this property is still on the market.