This was a long awaited day! Today we were met with two rangers at Rocky Mountain National Park, Chelsea and Christie, who generously set aside their afternoon to take us on a private tour of the bark beetle afflicted regions of the forest. This tour was truly spectacular. We witnessed firsthand the destruction that the bark beetle has caused.
Lodgepole pines and spruce were particularly affected. In many areas, entire hillsides were brown with dead trees, scattered with lucky green survivors in between. The bark beetle is native to the area. However, the rangers explained that winters have been getting warmer in the Rockies, which has meant that more bark beetles have been surviving to emerge in spring. When bark beetles emerge, they target new trees, boring into the bark, eating the underlying “cambium” layer, and introducing a harmful “blue fungus” that ultimately suffocates and kills the tree. Increased bark beetle epidemics and increased tree death have been a signature of global warming. Following our tour, we had a speaking event in which rangers and park volunteers attended. We had lively discussion and learned a great deal from one another. I gifted a couple copies of Beyond Debate to our ranger hosts as a thank you! What a magical day! Thanks to our ranger friends at Rocky Mountain! We captured interesting video footage and interviews. Check out Part I of our Rocky Mountain footage below!
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Dr. Shahir Masri
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