Sad

I wish I could say this picture is of the beautiful fall colors up in the moutains. Hopefully, we'll have a picture or two of that in the weeks to come. Sorry, but this is a somewhat boring post. Similar to some dry documentary on PBS.

I'm not a big environmental guy, but this not-so-scenic sight is becoming all too common in certain parts of the Rocky Mountains. In recent years, the pine beetle has moved in and is devastating large areas of lodge pole pine tree forests. According to the Denver Post, this outbreak is 'unprecedented' and will have a huge impact on the Rocky Mtn landscape for years to come.

Once these little buggers start burrowing into the pine trees, it's only a matter of time before the tree dies. There is no way to revive a tree that has been infested. In some areas, they are spraying the trees, but the benefit is small and the cost great. The dead pine trees present a big fire danger, so logging is occuring to remove the dead trees...this is where the drastic change in landscape occurs.

I guess it's just a reminder that Mother Nature has her way of running the shop that is beyond the control of man. It's just amazing to me that a grain-sized beetle can have this type of impact.