Millions of acres of pine forest from British Columbia down to New Mexico have been decimated by the tiny bark beetle, in what is considered the largest insect infestation in North American history.  And the devastating losses show no sign of slowing down, as the dying trees severely disrupt forest ecosystems, and increase risks of fires and mudslides.  Some argue that new construction in certain areas have contributed to the spread while foresters explained to the New York Times that:

Because fires have been suppressed for so long, all forests are roughly the same age, and the trees are big enough to be susceptible to beetles. A decade of drought has weakened the trees. And hard winters have softened, which allows the beetles to flourish and expand their range.

While some organizations are finding clever ways to utilize the fallen trees, the catastrophic losses are too overwhelming to balance out.  It’s frightening to consider what other destructive insects could join the ranks of the Bark Beetle, if conditions associated with climate change continue unabated.

takepart by learning how we address the problems of climate change and hopefully discourage the spread of invaders like the Bark Beetle.

Related: Inconvenient Truth of the Day

Photo: Anne Sherwood for The New York Times