Mountain Living
By Irene Shonle
I’ll start with the good news: the 2012 aerial survey shows that the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic has essentially petered out. This is definitely cause for celebration, but it doesn’t necessarily change the picture on the potential for fires. While many people believe that beetle-killed forests are at an increased risk for wildfires, recent research by climatologists, biologists, geographers, and fire ecologists has revealed that fires in western forests are more strongly linked to climate than many realize. In other words, our forests could burn in dry years with or without pine beetle.
Support authors and subscribe to content
Subscribe to read the entire article.
Login if you have purchased
