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Mountain Pine Beetles. Quick Facts. Karen Trofka. The Pine Beetle. Scientific Name: Dendroctonus ponderosae Size: 1/8 -1/3 inch Native to forests in western North America Have one year life cycle s Woodpeckers are their natural predators. Photo taken by Joseph Trofka. Life Cycle.
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Mountain Pine Beetles Quick Facts Karen Trofka
The Pine Beetle • Scientific Name: Dendroctonusponderosae • Size: 1/8 -1/3 inch • Native to forests in western North America • Have one year life cycles • Woodpeckers are their • natural predators Photo taken by Joseph Trofka
Life Cycle • Female tunnels under bark of tree • Mate • Form vertical tube, or egg gallery, containing about 75 eggs • Eggs hatch and larva tunnel away from the egg gallery • Remain under the bark during the winter • Become pupae June-July • Mid-June to September leave trees as adults
Out Breaks • Periodic out breaks can kill millions of trees • Current outbreak has killed 1.5 million acres of trees in Colorado • Pine beetles attack large and weak or stressed trees • Mainly affect ponderosa, lodgepole, scotch, and limber pinetrees • Affect Bristlecone and pinyon pines as well Photo taken by Joseph Trofka
Range of Damage from Mountain Pine Beetles Map from http://snr.unl.edu/invasives/images/mountain%20pine%20beetle%20map.jpg
What the Pine Beetles do to the Trees Tree become yellow or red 10 months After a successful attack Pitch tubes are created from the beetles tunneling Blue stain theon in inside of the wood is a fungus from adult beetles that help beetles kill the tree All photos taken by Joseph Trofka
What can be Done with the Beetle Kill • Wood remains structurally sound until five years after attack and can be used for building • Used as fuel for pellet stoves • Bio-fuel • Firewood • Biochar Photo taken by Karen Trofka
Works Consulted • "Can 'biochar' save the planet? " CNN Video. CNN. 30 Mar. 2009. biochar.org. Web. 29 Mar. 2010. • Helman, Christopher. "Turning Dead Trees Into Green Heat." Forbes.com. N.p., 2 Sept. 2009. Web. 12 Mar. 2010. • Leatherman, D.A., I. Aguayo, and T.M. Mehall. "Mountain Pine Beetle." Colostate.edu.Colorado State University, Apr. 2007. Web. 12 Mar. 2010. • Moscou, Jim. "Beetlemania." How the Pine Beetle is Destroying Colorado Forests. Newsweek, 2008. Web. 27 Apr. 2010. <http://www.newsweek.com/id/148297/ page/2>. • Trofka, Joseph. Interview about Mountain Pine Beetles. Private Residence. 28 Mar. 2010. Interview.