A couple days ago Cheryl was reading a recent article aloud that she'd found online, stating that the beetle kill timber on Monarch pass is nearing 90%.
Anyone who has been to the summit of Slumgullion pass recently has also witnessed the widespread devastation. It's a tinder box up here. I'd sure rather not see either of these forests go up in flames, but I'm afraid it's simply a matter of time...
I know out west controlled burns are politically bad but we have controlled burns every spring for exactly the reasons you are stating.
One reason is beetle control along with getting rid of dead wood so beetles and other bugs can't run rampant.
Second reason is to cut down on dead anything so fires are much more controllable and less likely.
I live in an area that burns every 7-10 years historically. Lightning strikes is what does it. Within a quarter mile of me we have at least 6 trees hit by lightning in the last 20 years. I had one in my back yard, maybe 50 yards away from the house. Had one across the pond in my backyard a few years ago. Not sure which tree it actually hit? I'm sure I will find out. These trees are mostly 60-80 ft pine trees which take a while to actually die. You listen for woodpeckers working hard on a one tree, that is the rotten one. Once the woodpeckers get to it the bugs have taken over the tree, they just tunnel the tree out.
