Bark beetles threatening Washington forest health

As climate change worsens, forest health is taking a hit in the form of insects, leading to increased wildfire danger.

Glenn Kohler, forest entomologist for the Washington Department of Natural Resources (DNR), said there are about a dozen bark beetle species that are considered pests. In the last decade, Kohler said DNR has seen a trend where changing environmental factors are creating a situation where these pests thrive, increasing their negative impact.

“Over the last 10 years we’ve noticed with some of these bark beetles, the western pine beetle in the Ponderosa and the fern graver in the grand fern primarily, those are two great examples of bark beetles that really enjoy and are successful at killing drought-stressed trees," Kohler said. "We've been going through a period of hotter and more intense droughts the last 10 years.”

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