Monitoring and Forecasting Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreaks in High-Elevation Whitebark Pine Forests
Authored By: J. A. Hicke, J. A. Logan
Jeffrey A. Hicke and Jesse A. Logan
Colorado State University and USDA Forest Service Rocky Mountain Research Station
Insect outbreaks are significant forest disturbances in the United States. In the western United States, extensive bark beetle outbreaks in recent years have killed thousands of ha of trees. High-elevation whitebark pine forests in the Rocky Mountains have experienced a recent severe infestation of mountain pine beetle. Outbreaks in these ecosystems are associated with unusually warm temperatures. Increasing probability of outbreak in these forests may constitute a threat to a keystone species that provides significant services to ecosystems and humans. Here we discuss two studies related to outbreaks in whitebark pine forests. Model results driven by climate change projections suggest that future warming at high elevations will increase the area suitable for mountain pine beetle outbreak across the western United States. We also describe a remote sensing study in central Idaho that quantifies tree mortality using 2.4-m spatial resolution imagery. We will discuss total outbreak area, present landscape patterns, and assess how mortality varies across the landscape with respect to topography.
corresponding author:
Jeffrey A. Hicke
1499 Campus Delivery
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523
970-491-2104
jhicke@nrel.colostate.edu
