892 N.

Noble Drive
Parker, CO 80138
April 29, 2015
Division of Wildlife
1313 Sherman Street
Denver, CO 80203
Dear Division of Wildlife,
I have been given an assignment that has opened up my eyes to the ecological issues on
mountain pine beetles. Today pine beetles are an ongoing issue because they leave a trail of fire
and destruction everywhere they go. They have had every opportunity to overpopulate and
destroy any trees in their path, and they have even attacked the Rocky Mountain National Park.
Even though pine beetles have an important role in helping forest life through attacking weak
and old trees, they have still grown out of control and become a curse. Due to climate change the
size and severity of the outbreak grew out of hand and has become an inevitable destruction of
pine trees. Through the destruction of these forests any animal living within that area is harmed
and killed or left homeless. Trees are important in order to give off oxygen and add to our
atmosphere. As stated in Mountain Pine Beetles expansion in the West by Dr. Diana Six, we can
expect dramatic drops in treelines with significant impacts on the vegetation and wildlife. In
Colorado that may be deer, birds, and coyotes that are being thrown out of their home. Pine
Beetles are slowly destroying our forests and if the growth rate is not slown down they will
spread towards the eastern coast forests.
I have many concerns if this situation is not handled. Even though a large amount of the pine
trees have been destroyed there is still a large amount of healthy life worth cherishing. If this
species continues to travel they will move towards the eastern half of the state and begin to
destroy those trees with no hope of stopping them. Along with the risks to wildlife within the
area some species may become endangered and left without homes. They will be forced to
abandon the shelter of the forest and then struggle to find a new home ground, which leads to
death. Too many pine beetles lead to an overpopulation and attack on all trees, but not enough
may affect the healthy growth of trees that the beetles help simulate. Therefore the population of
the pine beetles should not vanish completely but be kept under control in order to prevent the
dramatic tree attacking. By killing trees the natural way of getting oxygen into the atmosphere
and to all living things, and by destroying trees there is a decrease in the amount of oxygen we
are receiving. It takes a lot for trees to grow back, so they are worth the fight to rescue. Overall
trees are very important to helping all types of wildlife and even humans and in destroying them
we all suffer from it.

As explained in the National Park Service there is a process of spraying Carbaryl along the tree
trunks to help prevent Pine Beetle attacking that tree. It has seemed to be successful over years
of experimenting, but there are still complications in the system. How thorough the spray job
must be, the access to this chemical, and the concern for wildlife and their water sources
becoming contaminated. There are several alternatives that can be tested to see how well this
chemical works. From changing the amount of the tree trunk you spray to the part where the
beetle will most be attracted to. Instead of spraying every single tree do the outer layer of trees
because the beetles may enter near the sprayed trees and then leave after seeing the sprayed trees.
Even though the Forest Department of Agriculture explains that predators of pine beetles do not
do enough damage to stop an over population, they may help reduce the amount of beetles
needed to be worked with. From birds eating eggs and beetles just naturally dying from age and
disease the population may be able to stay down. Spraying the trees with this chemical seems to
be the most effective process so therefore it is wise to stay within the same idea. I believe that
spraying only some of the trees or changing the pattern would help lower the amount of beetles
attracted to the area because there are less opportunities for them. If there is a smaller amount of
beetles they are less likely to destroy the trees as they are to kill unwanted trees. Saying that their
natural purpose is to dispose of the useless trees, every tree but the dead and weak ones can be
sprayed. It keeps the living ones healthy and out of harms way, but leaves the beetles something
to do. Slight changes to the spraying method that help lower the drastic and harmful process is a
good way of solving the solution.
You are able to test this theory in an experiment. You will use two separate forests and do two
different methods on both forests and then over time see which forest has been more successful
in staying healthy and not being taken over by beetles. From comparing the amount of living
trees and the amount of wildlife within the area along with comparing the amount of pine
beetles within the area. I believe that seeing two different scenarios next to each other will help
show which solution is best fit for this issue. There is also the option of doing a controlled lab
experiment, which is using enclosed areas to see how beetles interact with certain types of trees
without risking any real forest problems. It will take continuous try and fail trials until the perfect
combination of methods is reasonable, but overall messing around with the condition of the trees
seems to be the best way to approach controlling the pine beetle issue.
I have researched and studied pine beetles and noticed how their patterns are and what seems to
be a common method to controlling them. Even though they are a small insect they have a large
impact on the environment and need to be controlled before they do unimaginable damage. We
cant afford to lose anymore trees or sacrifice any more wildlife. I highly recommend that you
consider my thoughts and use them to the best of your capability because anything can help at
this point. Its important that this is put under control and there is no harm in experimenting. In
conclusion pine beetles have a large impact in Colorados nature and require immediate
attention.

Sincerely,

Emily Martellaro
Emily Martellaro