THE BLACK HILLS AND THE MOUNTAIN PINE BEETLE—SOUTH DAKOTA AND WYOMINGThe Black Hills National

THE BLACK HILLS AND THE MOUNTAIN PINE BEETLE—SOUTH DAKOTA AND WYOMINGThe Black Hills National Forest is located in western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming. This majestic landform is visible from many roadways in South Dakota because the hills are 201 kilometers (125 miles) long and 105 kilometers (65 miles) wide. The hills were named by the Lakota, who dubbed the area “Paha Sapa;” this means “hills that are black.” The hills’ characteristic color is created by the pine trees that dot the terrain. However, these trees are temporarily dwindling due to a small menace that is taking over: the mountain pine beetle.The pine trees that populate the Black Hills are under attack by the mountain pine beetle. The beetle is actually native to the Black Hills. It spends most of its life in the inner bark of trees, and favors the ponderosa pine tree, which grows on more than one million acres of the Black Hills; however, other pine tree species are also vulnerable to the beetle. Most of their feeding and movement from tree to tree occurs in June and July, when adults move to new trees in order to lay eggs by tunneling into the trees. The tunneling by the beetles disrupts the trees from transporting nutrients and food between their needles and roots. Adult beetles may also carry a fungus that can stop water from moving throughout the tree. The beetles are especially prevalent now because they are in an abundant life cycle. Normally, the beetles only colonize stressed or weakened trees during their periods of smaller populations. Every ten years, their population flourishes so that healthy trees are also colonized; this is now occurring over many sections of the Black Hills.Approximately one-third of the National Forest Service trees that grow on the Black Hills landscape have been destroyed by the beetle during this life cycle. That corresponds to roughly 384,000 acres out of 1.2 million acres of forested land. Not only is losing the forest to the beetles devastating from an emotional standpoint; the loss of trees could have a negative effect on tourism in the area (which is home to Mount Rushmore). In addition, dead and dying trees in the area could become fuel for wildfires. However, these standing dead trees, called snags, can provide habitat for many organisms.Over the past two years, over 240,000 acres of the region have been inspected for mountain pine beetles, since most people in the region view the beetle as a menace. I was in the Black Hills in August and the sparser network of trees is noticeable, even while one is driving on the highway. Eventually, I would like to visit the area again and see the trees back to their healthy numbers when the beetle population has dwindled again.-Jeanne K.Photo of insect damage in the Deerfield Lake area of the Black Hills National Forest, courtesy of Gary Chancey, Black Hills National Forest.References:http://www.fs.usda.gov/blackhillshttp://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/blackhills/home/?cid=stelprdb5110568http://noem.house.gov/index.cfm/pine-beetles-in-the-black-hillshttp://www.newscenter1.tv/stories/14236.aspxhttp://sdda.sd.gov/conservation-forestry/identification-biology/ -- source link
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