The changing face of our forests - bark beetle and global warming

This is an article I wrote for the Four Corners Free Press out of Cortez, Colorado.  

It's the culmination of my day listening in on the "San Juan Bark Beetles and Watersheds Workshop" {which was organized by the Western Water Assessment and Mountain Studies Institute} plus discussions with some participants.

In particular, I thank Mike Blakeman from the Rio Grande National Forest.  Although Mike was a spectator, he has a scientific background and has a long standing familiarity with the developing scientific understanding.  He spent a good deal of time clarifying and offering further details, not all of which made it into this essay.  

Of course, any errors are mine alone and I will gladly fix any that are pointed out to me.  At the end of this essay I include links to authoritative information sources.

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Have you ever driven over Wolf Creek Pass, the one in southern Colorado straddling the Great Divide? At 10,857 ft. elevation, it's an example of America at its most magnificent; with high mountains and spruce forests stretching out in every direction.

A citizen's review of the "San Juan Bark Beetles and Watersheds Workshop"

I was able to attend the 
"San Juan Bark Beetles and Watersheds Workshop"
highlighted in my previous post.  It was a cooperative effort between 
the Western Water Assessment (WWA), 
the Mountain Studies Institute (MSI), 
the San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership, and 
the U.S. Forest Service 
for "exploring the water-related impacts of bark beetle infestations in the San Juans and the Rocky Mountain West."

The goals were:

• Share key findings and uncertainties from beetle-water research in Colorado and elsewhere in the West, and describe ongoing studies
• Seek input from resource managers on the Western Slope about their water/watershed concerns and information needs related to ongoing beetle infestations, particularly the spruce beetle infestation
• Help connect decision-makers with researchers and information resources

"San Juan Bark Beetles and Watersheds Workshop" 

http://wwa.colorado.edu/events/workshops/beetle-water-Durango.html 

http://wwa.colorado.edu/resources/beetle/index.html

http://www.fs.fed.us/ccrc/topics/bark-beetles.shtml 

http://mountainstudies.org 

The workshop was tailored for land managers and other professionals, but the public was invited and a few of us showed up to learn about what scientists were saying regarding the bark beetle epidemic raging throughout the Rocky Mountains... and in fact, throughout mountain forests everywhere.

San Juan Bark Beetles and Watersheds Workshop - 4/10/2013

I received the following email from the Mountain Studies Institute today and thought I'd pass it along:

San Juan Bark Beetles and Watersheds Workshop

Please join the Western Water Assessment (WWA), the Mountain Studies Institute (MSI), and the San Juan Headwaters Forest Health Partnership for a workshop exploring the water-related impacts of bark beetle infestations in the San Juans and the Rocky Mountain West. 

The goals of the workshop are to:

·         Share key findings and uncertainties from beetle-water research in Colorado and elsewhere in the West, and describe ongoing studies
·         Seek input from resource managers on the Western Slope about their water/watershed concerns and information needs related to ongoing beetle infestations
·         Help connect decision-makers with researchers and information resources

Water managers, forest managers, other decision-makers, researchers, and anyone with an interest in the topic are encouraged to attend. 

Please REGISTER HERE by April 1.  There is no cost for the workshop, but space is limited.

Details

Date: 

 Wed, 04/10/2013

Time: 

 9:00am - 3:30pm

Location: 

 Durango Public Library

Cost: 

 $0.00

Event Type: 

 Workshop

Link: 

 San Juan Bark Beetles and Watersheds Workshop

Contact: 

 info@moutnainstudies.org or 970-387-5161

Other Info: 

REGISTER HERE