The Mountain Pine Beetle’s Affects on Rocky Mountain Ecology

1. The Mountain Pine Beetle’s Affects on Rocky Mountain Ecology • By: Antonio Fumagalli • Mentor: Mario Bretfeld • Frontiers of Science Institute • University of Northern Colorado Summer 2011

2. Introduction This research was conducted to: • Collect plot samples to compare them to past samples. -Interpret patterns. • Will view: total number of trees and their species, circumference, dominance as a species in an area, and determine why these stand as so. • Will assist in better protecting and preventing uninfested tree areas from being attacked.

3. Problems • The Mountain Pine Beetle kills millions of trees each year in North America. • Within Colorado, the pine beetle is causing major economic, social, and political issues from the destruction it displays. • The most used meathods for beetle control, like chemical spraying, are damage the environment.

4. Forest Trees • Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosae) -Main focus of research. - Considered most widely distributed pine tree in the western hemisphere. • Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) -A common evergreen coniferous tree. -Attacked by Douglas-fir beetle (D. pseudotsugae). • Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum) -Coniferous plant of the cypress family Cupressaceous. -Produce a berry fruit which serves many purposes. • Lodgepole Pine (Pinus contorta) -Also one of most widely distributed conifer in the western U.S. -The Mountain Pine Beetle attacks.

5. Current Beetle Control Methods • Controlled Fire Burning • Extreme Cold Temperatures • Chemical Sprays • Peeling • Solar • Thinning Practices

6. Purpose • The purpose of this research project is to: - Evaluate forest age structure and how to better protect these areas from Mountain Pine Beetle outbreak. -Compare and contrast areas that are prone to attack and how age diversity changes their probability of being attacked. -Help forest management groups to better recognize patterns among affected areas to help prevent unaffected areas and give those areas better chance of survival. -Compare if areas with an even, or greater, number of younger trees and an even number of older, larger trees to see if they have a greater survival possibility when it comes to resisting beetle infestation. -Discover the factors affected by a greater diversity among the trees. The data and observations collected from this research, and in the future, may strongly support more environmentally friendly means of controlling Pine Beetle outbreak.

7. Tree Diversity • Tree diversity is the type of age structure in a forest area that’s trees are evenly distributed. • Most forests today are poorly regulated and totally reject the idea of tree diversity, which leads to them getting more frequently attacked. • Tree Diversity can be created by thinning methods, which is the most financially and environmentally conservative out of all the other meathods.

8. My Hypothesis • I hypothesize that a diverse age distribution of trees in the Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Forests will result in a healthier forest, and therefore be less likely to be significantly affected by the Mountain Pine Beetle. - This can contribute towards creating more affective ways for park management to protect and prevent large areas on land from being attacked.

9. Dr. Robert K. Peet • Original researcher of the plots we went back to measure. • He measured approximately 305 0.1 ha (hectares) plots over a time of many years. • Drafted the “CVS-EEP Protocol for Recording Vegetation”, which is also the manual we used to take samples with. • He currently works for the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, under the biology department.

10. #10 #9 #8 #7 #6 #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 START FINISHED Key: = The Middle Line (50 meters) = 10 meters measuring tape = 20 meters measuring tape = 30 meters measuring tape Plot Diagram • This is a diagram I created to give a better model for the steps needed for creating the plots I did for my research. • There are arrows pointed in certain directions and there is a colored key to show the lengths of the tape measures.

11. Plot Sampling • Done by CVS-EEP manuals instructions. • To properly record information, it’s necessary to have a structured set of meathods. The meathods are as followed: • Evenly divide a 20 meters and 50 meters space into 10 individual models of 100 meters squared. • For each module we will measure every tree’s diameter, by first measuring its circumference (in cm) with a tape measure and then converting the circumference into the diameter.

12. Plot Sampling Cont. • We will also count the number of trees and species per unit area. • Then we can go back to the number of trees and species per unit area • Then we can go back to each tree and find infested ones to count the number of pitch tubes located on the exterior of these trees.

13. Equipment • Field pack • Taxonomic manual • Measuring tapes • Pin flags • Stakes • Mallet • Plant and soil collection bags • Compass • Clinometer • GPS, or a map • Digital camera • Plant press • A library of flora

14. Current and Expected Results • Phase one of plot sampling has been completed in which the diameter and number of tree species per unit was measured. In phase two, which has yet to be completed the number of pitch tubes per tree in the measured area will be counted and the results will be compared to the age diversity measured in phase one. The age diversity results are as follows:

15. Plot 1

16. Plot 2

17. Plot 3

18. Plot 4

19. Plot 5

20. Plot 6

21. Discussion • I believe that: - A forest that has more age diversity will be less likely to be infested by the Pine beetle. I hope that: - my results will correspond with previous results that showed that an increased age diversity contributes to a healthier forest area (Leatherman et al., 2009). By measuring the number of pitch tubes per tree, and comparing that to the age diversity measures we will be able to determine the affect age diversity has on the number of beetle infected trees. If our future results support our hypothesis then we can gradually take steps to increase the age diversity in forest areas likely to be attacked by the pine beetle.

22. Major Ideas • A forest with greater age diversity will be much healthier and less vulnerable to Pine Beetle attack. • Sometimes the most practice solutions are the most simple. • “Nature always will have the ability to change beyond human control” • We really need to put in the effort to protect and prolong the life of the forests in the

23. Outlook for the future • Further research can be done to: - Determine the correlation of a trees diameter and the number of “pitch tubes” that are present at these trees. -Figure further alternative methods for protecting the backcountry from mountain pine beetle. -Study if genetic modifications might be available for better protecting the trees by changing their genetic structure.

24. Bibliography • Amman, G. D., McGregor, M. D., & Dolph, R. E. (1990). Mountain Pine Beetle. Retrieved July 21, 2011, from Forest Insect & Disease Leaflet website: http://www.barkbeetles.org//.htm • Cannings, R. (2005). The Rockies: A Natural History (N. Flight, Ed.). Vancouver, British Columbia: Douglas & McIntyre Publishing Group. (Original work published 2005) • Fettig, C. J., Klepzig, K. D., Billings, R. F., Munson, S. A., Nebeker, E. T., Negron, J. F., & Nowak, J. T. (2006, October). The effectiveness of vegetation managment practices for prevention and control of bark beetle infestations in coniferous forests of the western and southern United States. Elsevier. • Forest Health: Mountain Pine Beetle. (2010, April 2). Retrieved July 21, 2011, from National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior website: http://www.nps.gov///_pine_beetle_background.htm • Klutsch, J. G., Negron, J. F., Costello, S. L., Rhoades, C. C., West, D. R., Popp, J., & Caissie, R. (2009). Stand characteristics and downed woody debris accumulations associated with a mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreak in Colorado. Elsevier. • Leatherman, Aguayo, & Mehall. (1999, February). Mountain Pine Beetle. Retrieved from Colorado State University Extension website: http://cospl.coalliance.org///:5825/internet.pdf • Lee, M. T., Roberts, S. D., Wentworth, T. R., & Peet, R. K. (2008). CVS-EEP Protocol for Recording Vegetation. Retrieved from http://cvs.bio.unc.edu//eep-protocol-v4.2-lev3-5.pdf • Lynch, H. J., Renkin, R. A., Crabtree, R. L., & Moorcroft, P. R. (2007, January). The Influence of Previous Mountain Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) Activity on the 1988 Yellowstone Fires. Springer Science+ Business Media, Inc. • Peet, R. K. (n.d.). Forest vegetation of the Colorado Front Range. Retrieved from Dr W. Junk Publishers website: http://www.bio.unc.edu////;3.pdf •  Sustaining Alpine and Forest Ecosystems. (n.d.). Retrieved from USDA Forest Service website: http://www.fs.fed.us////

25. Acknowledgements • All of the FSI staff for supporting me. Include: Lori Ball, Abby Davidson, Nathan Kirkley, Nick True, Zabedah Saad, and Kayla Schinke. • My residential advisors, Karen Allnutt and Klaus Broeker. • All of my awesome peers. • My mentor, Mario Bretfeld, and his assistant Michone Duffy. • Thank you Hannah West and Ashtin Hulse, for being such supportive and helpful research partners. • My sponsor, Mr. Tointon and the Tointon Family Foundation. • I’d like to personally thank Abby Davidson for being my advisor. • I would also like to thank all of my previous science teachers from school. • My biggest supporter of science, Taylor Dufford. • My family for always encouraging me to pursue my passion for science. Thank you Mom, Maria, Grandma Bette and Grandpa Ray, Dad, Aunt Silvana, Nona Mimi, The Jost Family, Erin and Kenny Shock, my Church Family, supportive friends, and everyone else that has always push me to achieving the most out of life.

26. Contact Information • Please fell free to contact me with any questions at: -afumagalli345@gmail.com