While mountain pine beetle has not been widely detected in our area (fortunately), isolated incidents of trees with the beetle have been identified.
Douglas County "Forest Pests" webpage links are now fixed. Click here to see the page and successfully click on all the links under the category Ponderosa Pine.
Here is an excellent PDF from the U.S. Forest Service about pine beetle, including a map of where they are prevalent and information on natural enemies, hazards and concerns, and other excellent information.
March is considered a critical period for monitoring and managing mountain pine beetle populations, as it marks the beginning of their activity and provides and early opportunity to respond to, and work to prevent, and infestation.
Here is an excellent PDF from the U.S. Forest Service about pine beetle, including a map of where they are prevalent and information on natural enemies, hazards and concerns, and other excellent information.
March is considered a critical period for monitoring and managing mountain pine beetle populations, as it marks the beginning of their activity and provides and early opportunity to respond to, and work to prevent, and infestation.
Keep in mind that your tree(s) may have something other than mountain pine beetle such as winter burn (desiccation), red turpentine borer, Ips bark beetle, pine tip moth, Western bark beetle, spruce beetle, roundheaded pine beetle, and issues due to drought and/or extreme weather (freeze/thaw). It is best to call a professional arborist to help you identify what may be causing problems with your trees.
Emergence from Winter Dormancy: Mountain pine beetles typically overwinter in the bark of infested trees. As temperatures begin to rise in March, these beetles become more active and start emerging from their winter dormancy. This activity makes March an ideal time to inspect trees for signs of infestation.
Flight Season: March marks the beginning of the flight season for adult mountain pine beetles. During this time, the beetles mate and seek out new host trees to infest. By monitoring trees in March, it is possible to detect the presence of adult beetles before they lay eggs and initiate new infestations.
Identification of Early Infestations: Early detection of mountain pine beetle infestations is critical for effectively managing and controlling their spread. In March, trees may begin showing initial signs of infestation, such as pitch tubes, boring dust (looks like yellow crumbly popcorn on the bark of the tree), or yellowing/browning foliage.
Preventative Treatments: For areas susceptible to mountain pine beetle, preventative treatments may be applied to protect healthy trees from attack. (If you can clearly see that a pine is being attacked by beetles, it may as well be already dead. Pine trees are not like oaks. Oaks and many other broadleaf trees can regenerate from even a bad disease or stress, but pines typically cannot. Once on the path to death, there is no recovery for a pine tree).
March provides an opportune time to assess the need for such treatments and implement them before the beetles become more active later in the season. Learn more about prevention which includes excellent images in this article.
Timing for Tree Removal: If infested trees are identified during March inspections, timely removal of these trees can help prevent the spread of mountain pine beetles to neighboring healthy trees. Removing infested trees before the beetles emerge in large numbers can help mitigate the impact of the infestation on the surrounding forest.
- Colorado State Forest Service article on mountain pine beetle.
- 2022 Forest Health Highlights for Colorado from Colorado State Forest Service with aerial detection of disturbance pests.
- 2023 Report on the Health of Colorado's Forests including notable pests in Colorado
- Douglas County common insects and diseases in trees, plus resources for professional identification through the county, and information on programs to assist landowners with forest management including the removal of dead trees. (Some links in this article are broken - we have contacted Douglas County about fixing these so we can access the information. We will provide an update when the links are fixed).
Photo credit: USDA Forest Service