Insects are devouring Colorado's trees, thanks to climate change: Report
Climate-induced warming is fueling the proliferation of insects keen on invading Colorado's forests and leaving the trees they devour for dead, a new report has found.
After a wet and cool 2023, weather in the Centennial State shifted back to near-record heat and minimal precipitation last year — driving the spread of forest pests and weakening the defenses of trees, according to the report, released by the Colorado State Forest Service.
'Trees in Colorado can't catch a break as our climate becomes warmer and dryer,' Matt McCombs, state forester, said in a statement.
'This ongoing trend toward persistent drought and higher temperatures not only makes trees easier prey for insects but increases the risk of large and severe wildfires,' added McCombs, who directs the Forest Service, housed at Colorado State University.
The 2024 Report on the Health of Colorado's Forests showed that bark beetles and other invasive insects expanded their forest footprint in a hot and dry 2024.
The type of tree most affected was the Western spruce budworm, which incurred 217,000 acres of injury in 2024, as opposed to 202,000 acres in 2023, per the report.
Another insect flagged in the report was the mountain pine beetle, which has been building populations along Colorado's Front Rage and in other parts of the state. In total, mountain pine beetles have damaged about 5,600 acres of forest.
An additional culprit was the Douglas-fir beetle, which exceeded levels not seen in almost a decade, although the balsam bark beetle was 'the deadliest forest pest in Colorado for the third year in a row.'
As the death toll of trees increase, so, too, does the likelihood of wildfires, the authors warned. Dense, homogenous forests can be slow to recover from disturbances, leaving material behind that has greater ignition risk, according to the report.
'Couple that with more people living in areas prone to burn, and the state faces enormous challenges,' McCombs said.
The authors therefore recommended that wildfire risk mitigation remain a top priority in Colorado, by taking proactive steps to maintain forest health and establishing fuel breaks when appropriate.
They praised the state for heading in the right direction in these activities, by establishing programs that fund workforce development, landscape resilience and wildfire mitigation, while also providing community-level grants to high-risk areas.
'The good news is we know Colorado is on the right path to address these challenges and foster forests and communities that are resilient to wildfire and forest pests,' McCombs added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
How Rare Are June Hurricane Landfalls In the US? It's Been Nearly 40 Years Since The Last One.
June is the start of hurricane season; however, it's rare to see storms hit the U.S. at hurricane strength in the month. The last one happened nearly four decades ago. Although, as we've seen many times, tropical storms can still be menacing. It's Been 39 Years: The last June U.S. hurricane landfall happened in 1986 when Bonnie struck the upper Texas coast. It came ashore as a Category 1 and produced moderate damage from near Port Arthur, Texas, to southwest Louisiana. Just 4 U.S. Hurricane Landfalls Since 1950: The other three were Agnes (1972), Alma (1966) and Audrey (1957). All of those also made landfall on the Gulf Coast after forming either in the northwest Caribbean or the Gulf. More Have Occurred Farther Back In History, Even One In May: NOAA has documented over a dozen additional unnamed hurricanes that made a U.S. landfall in June from 1851 through 1949. A 2013 study even discovered a U.S. hurricane landfall along the Gulf Coast in late May of 1863. Audrey Was The Strongest June U.S. Landfall: It roared ashore as a Category 3 on June 27, 1957, near the border between Louisiana and Texas. The hurricane rapidly strengthened just before landfall and pushed a destructive storm surge of 8 to 12 feet into southwest Louisiana. Audrey killed 416 people in the U.S. and many of those deaths were from storm surge. Agnes Was Another Very Deadly June Storm: While it made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in the Florida Panhandle, it was a second chapter of Agnes as a tropical storm that was most impactful since it produced disastrous flooding in the Northeast. The most severe flooding from Agnes occurred in areas from Virginia to Pennsylvania and New York. A majority of the 122 deaths from Agnes were because of this flooding. June Tropical Storms Have Been Impactful Many Times: Allison's multi-billion-dollar, deadly flood disaster across the Houston metro area in early June 2001 is probably the starkest example of major impacts from a tropical storm. Last year, Tropical Storm Alberto tracked into eastern Mexico on June 20 but still produced 2 to 4 feet of storm surge on the Texas coast and brought 5 to 8 inches of rain to South Texas. Claudette (2021) and Cristobal (2020) are also examples of recent impactful tropical storms to hit the Gulf Coast in the month. June Atlantic Basin Hurricanes Are Also Infrequent: When zooming out beyond the U.S., the month in general doesn't produce many hurricanes. Beryl is the last one in 2024 and was a rarity since it became the first June Category 4 on record as it approached the Caribbean on the month's last day. Before that, you have to go back to Chris in 2012 to find another Atlantic hurricane in June. Major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger) In June Are Extremely Rare: The month has accounted for just 1% of all the Atlantic majors since 1851, according to Dr. Phil Klotzbach, a tropical scientist at Colorado State University. That emphasizes how rare hurricane Beryl was for June. Chris Dolce has been a senior digital meteorologist with for nearly 15 years after beginning his career with The Weather Channel in the early 2000s.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Hurricane season is here. NOAA is in shambles. What could go wrong?
Hurricane season in the Atlantic has officially begun. And while this year will likely be less extreme than in 2024 — one of the most destructive seasons ever, with the earliest Category 5 hurricane on record — it's still shaping up to be a doozy. Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predict 'above-average' activity this season, with six to 10 hurricanes. The season runs from June 1 to November 30. 60 percent: Chance of an above-normal hurricane season. 6 to 10: Hurricanes expected this season, meaning tropical storms with wind speeds reaching at least 74 mph. 3 to 5: Major hurricanes, or storms with wind speeds reaching 111 mph or higher. 13 to 19: Named storms, referring to tropical systems with wind speeds of at least 39 mph. NOAA says it will update its forecast in early August. At least three of those storms will be category 3 or higher, the forecasters project, meaning they will have gusts reaching at least 111 miles per hour. Other reputable forecasts predict a similarly active 2025 season with around nine hurricanes. Last year, there were 11 Atlantic hurricanes, whereas the average for 1991 to 2020 was just over 7, according to hurricane researchers at Colorado State University. A highly active hurricane season is obviously never a good thing, especially for people living in places like Florida, Louisiana, and, apparently, North Carolina (see: Hurricane Helene, the deadliest inland hurricane on record). Even when government agencies that forecast and respond to severe storms — namely, NOAA and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA — are fully staffed and funded, big hurricanes inflict billions of dollars of damage, and they cost lives. Under the Trump administration, however, these agencies are not well staffed and face steep budget cuts. Hundreds of government employees across these agencies have been fired or left, including those involved in hurricane forecasting. What could go wrong? The primary reason is that Caribbean waters are unusually warm right now, Brian McNoldy, a hurricane expert at the University of Miami, told Vox. Warm water provides fuel for hurricanes, and waters in and around the Caribbean tend to be where hurricanes form early in the season. If this sounds familiar, that's because the Caribbean has been unusually warm for a while now. That was a key reason why the 2024 and 2023 hurricane seasons were so active. Warm ocean water, and its ability to help form and then intensify hurricanes, is one of the clearest signals — and consequences — of climate change. Data indicates that climate change has made current temperatures in parts of the Caribbean and near Florida several (and in some cases 30 to 60) times more likely. The Atlantic has cooled some since hitting extremely high temperatures over the last two summers, yet 'the overall long-term trend is to warm,' said McNoldy, a senior research associate at the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science. The other key reason why forecasters expect an ample number of hurricanes this year has to do with a complicated climate phenomenon known as the ENSO cycle. ENSO has three phases — El Niño, La Niña, and neutral — that are determined by ocean temperatures and wind patterns. And each phase means something slightly different for hurricane season. Put simply, El Niño tends to suppress hurricanes because it causes an increase in wind shear — the abrupt changes in wind speed and direction. And wind shear can disrupt hurricanes. In La Niña years, meanwhile, there's little wind shear, allowing hurricanes to form, and they're often accompanied by higher sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic. Right now the ENSO phase is, rather unexcitedly, neutral. That means there won't be the high, hurricane-blocking wind shear of El Niño, but the conditions won't be as favorable as they are in La Niña. This all leads to more unpredictability, according to climate scientists. When publishing the NOAA hurricane forecast last month, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, who oversees NOAA, said 'we have never been more prepared for hurricane season.' Climate scientists have challenged that claim. They point out that, under the Trump administration, hundreds of workers at NOAA have been fired or otherwise pushed out, which threatens the accuracy of weather forecasts that can help save lives. FEMA has also lost employees, denied requests for hurricane relief, and is reportedly ending door-to-door canvassing in disaster regions designed to help survivors access government aid. 'Secretary Lutnick's claim is the sort of lie that endangers the lives of people living along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, and even those further inland unable to escape the extensive reach of associated torrential rains and flooding,' Marc Alessi, an atmospheric scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, an environmental advocacy group, told Vox. 'Notwithstanding the valiant efforts of dedicated career staff, this administration has taken to actively thwarting the vital scientific work at agencies including NOAA that communities rely on to stay safe throughout hurricane season.' View Link According to Alessi, a handful of National Weather Service offices along the Gulf Coast — which is often hit by hurricanes — currently lack lead meteorologists. 'Missing this sort of expertise in the face of a projected above-average hurricane season could lead to a breakdown in proper warning and evacuation in vulnerable communities should a storm strike, potentially leading to more deaths that could have otherwise been avoided,' Alessi said. As my colleague Umair Irfan has reported, the National Weather Service is also launching weather balloons less frequently, due to staffing cuts. Those balloons measure temperature, humidity, and windspeed, providing data that feeds into forecasts. 'They've been short-staffed for a long time, but the recent spate of people retiring or being let go have led some stations now to the point where they do not have enough folks to go out and launch those balloons,' Pamela Knox, an agricultural climatologist at the University of Georgia extension and director of the UGA weather network, told Irfan in May. 'We're becoming more blind because we are not having access to that data anymore. A bigger issue is when you have extreme events, because extreme events have a tendency to happen very quickly. You have to have real-time data.' The White House is also trying to dramatically shrink NOAA's funding, proposing a budget cut of roughly $2 billion. In response to the proposed cuts, five former directors of the National Weather Service signed an open letter that raises alarm about what funding and staffing losses mean for all Americans. 'Our worst nightmare is that weather forecast offices will be so understaffed that there will be needless loss of life,' the former directors wrote in the letter. 'We know that's a nightmare shared by those on the forecasting front lines — and by the people who depend on their efforts.'
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Thousands evacuated in 3 provinces as Canadian wildfires threaten air quality into some US states
FLIN FLON, Manitoba — More than 25,000 residents in three provinces have been evacuated as dozens of wildfires remained active Sunday and diminished air quality in parts of Canada and the U.S., according to officials. Most of the evacuated residents were from Manitoba, which declared a state of emergency last week. About 17,000 people there were evacuated by Saturday along with 1,300 in Alberta. About 8,000 people in Saskatchewan had been relocated as leaders there warned the number could climb. Smoke was worsening air quality and reducing visibility in Canada and into some U.S. states along the border. 'Air quality and visibility due to wildfire smoke can fluctuate over short distances and can vary considerably from hour to hour,' Saskatchewan's Public Safety Agency warned Sunday. 'As smoke levels increase, health risks increase.' Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said firefighters, emergency crews and aircraft from other provinces and U.S. states, including Alaska, Oregon and Arizona, were being sent to help fight the blazes. 'We are truly grateful, and we stand stronger because of you,' Moe said in a post on social media. He said ongoing hot, dry weather is allowing some fires to grow and threaten communities, and resources to fight the fires and support the evacuees are stretched thin. 'The next four to seven days are absolutely critical until we can find our way to changing weather patterns, and ultimately a soaking rain throughout the north,' Moe said at a Saturday news conference. In Manitoba, more than 5,000 of those evacuated are from Flin Flon, located nearly 645 kilometers (400 miles) northwest of the provincial capital of Winnipeg. In northern Manitoba, fire knocked out power to the community of Cranberry Portage, forcing a mandatory evacuation order Saturday for about 600 residents. The fire menacing Flin Flon began a week ago near Creighton, Saskatchewan, and quickly jumped the boundary into Manitoba. Crews have struggled to contain it. Water bombers have been intermittently grounded due to heavy smoke and a drone incursion. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service deployed an air tanker to Alberta and said it would send 150 firefighters and equipment to Canada. In some parts of the U.S., air quality reached 'unhealthy' levels Sunday in North Dakota and small swaths of Montana, Minnesota and South Dakota, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's AirNow page. 'We should expect at least a couple more rounds of Canadian smoke to come through the U.S. over the next week,' said Bryan Jackson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in the U.S. Separately, a fire in the U.S. border state of Idaho burned at least 100 acres (40 hectares) as of Sunday, prompting road closures and some evacuations, according to the Idaho Department of Lands. The agency said in a news release that at least one structure was burned, but did not provide additional details about the damage. Strong gusty winds of 15 to 20 mph (24 to 32 kph) and steep terrain were making it difficult for firefighters battling the fire, which ignited Saturday. Evacuation centers have opened across Manitoba for those fleeing the fires, one as far south as Winkler, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the U.S. border. Winnipeg opened up public buildings for evacuees as it deals with hotels already crammed with other fire refugees, vacationers, business people and convention-goers. Manitoba's Indigenous leaders said Saturday at a news conference that hotel rooms in the cities where evacuees are arriving are full, and they called on the government to direct hotel owners to give evacuees priority. Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Kyra Wilson said it was one of the largest evacuations in the province since the 1990s. 'It's really sad to see our children having to sleep on floors. People are sitting, waiting in hallways, waiting outside, and right now we just need people to come together. People are tired,' Wilson said at a news conference. Canada's wildfire season runs from May through September. Its worst-ever wildfire season was in 2023. It choked much of North America with dangerous smoke for months.
