In the fight against beetles killing trees, dead trees are not large sources of fuel for wildfires in Telluride. But their presence in the region is sparking conversations about how
Bark beetles are common across the Western US. They’re tiny insects that burrow into the bark of pine trees to lay their eggs, often killing the tree in the process. They can also spread across huge areas of woodland. One way to mitigate beetle outbreaks is through prescribed burns. But as KSJD’s Lucas Brady Woods reports, the drought conditions fueling their spread aren’t so easy to address.
Bark beetles are common across the Western US. They’re tiny insects that burrow into the bark of pine trees to lay their eggs, often killing the tree in the process. They can also spread across huge areas of woodland. One way to mitigate beetle outbreaks is through prescribed burns. But as KSJD’s Lucas Brady Woods reports, the drought conditions fueling their spread aren’t so easy to address.
The Richard Fitzgerald Award for Excellence in Forest Management was recently presented to Amy Lockner, an entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Serviceâs Rocky Mountain Region.
One of Locknerâs main accomplishments was her work to stop the spread of the mountain pine beetle on the Wilder and Gunnison-Highlands project on the Gunnison Ranger District of the Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison National Forests.
The Fitzgerald Award was established in 2018 and awarded to its namesake, Richard âFitzâ Fitzgerald that year, which marked his 61st year with the Forest Service.
Fitzgerald is one of the longest-serving employees in agency history.