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If you have lodgepole pine on your property, you'll want to pay close attention for any changes in the tree's appearance. You can tell if a logepole pine has been infected by MPB if you see pitchtubes in the trunk of the tree. These pitch tubes are put out by the tree in an effort to expel the MPB. This tell tale evidence of MPB attack looks like round, popcorn shaped mounds of sap on the trunk of the tree. Other evidence of attack is the presence of fine sawdust like particles on the bark.

This tree below shows a pitch tube where a MPB has bored into the tree. The tree responds by trying to "pitch it out" through the process of expelling sap. If the tree is young and healthy, it may successfully do this. However, in an epidemic situation, far too many beetles attach the tree at once, overwhelming the tree so that it cannot eliminate the beetle. Trees that have pitch tubes and MPB living inside them are called, "brood trees." Brood trees are very important to remove in order to prevent further infestation among other trees. The general rule is that for every single brood tree, 5 more trees will be infected the following year when the beetle flies.











MPB typically have a one-year life cycle, with adults entering susceptible host trees
in the summer months, mating, laying eggs and undergoing development under the bark during the winter and spring. New adults emerge the following summer, typically around the second week of July to attack new trees.

If you are going to treat your trees with Verbenone, or remove brood trees, it is essential to do this BEFORE the fly season in July. Placing Verbenone packets on the tress (2 per tree, simply stapled to the trunk) prior to the fly season can help protect a tree from being infested by MPB.

When surveying your trees for sign of MPB it is important to look not just for "red and dead" trees, but also at the green, healthy looking trees. Some of these green trees that appear healthy may in fact be infested with MPB. It is often difficult for owners to accept the fact that a tree that looks green and healthy to them, is in fact dead. If the MPB has already infested the tree, the fungus brought by the MPB cuts off the tree's vascular system, ultimately killing it. The MPB is simply using the tree as a habitat to breed. In the following summer, it will release a new force of beetles that will emerge from the tree and move on to infect and inhabit new trees.

In addition to the mechanical damage caused by the bark beetles as they tunnel and make egg galleries under the bark, they also introduce various fungi, collectively called blue stain fungi. The combination of fungal growth and bark beetle tunneling activities disrupt water transport in the tree resulting in rapid death. It is important to understand that a pine tree, once successfully mass attacked by MPB is effectively dead after 6 weeks,despite the fact that the tree will look green and otherwise healthy. 

MPB generally infest white pines, limber pines, ponderosa pines and lodgepole pines. To identify a lodgepole pine look for paired pine needles running 3 to 7cm in length and often twisted together.

If you have identified brood trees on your land, it is now important to identify the scope of the problem, as that will determine the management protocol.  If the problem only involves a single tree or a small number of trees on a property, the advice of an arborist can be sought. Likely you'll want to remove your brood trees and protect the other trees with Verbenone packets. You can learn more about Verbenone by clicking here.

If the issue involves trees on a larger piece of property, and the trees affected are part of a larger forest, diagnostic help should be sought from a qualified forester or silviculturist (silviculture is the branch of forestry that deals with the management of forested lands for specific objectives). Diagnosing tree disease problems requires training and experience. Likewise,  treating tree diseases requires similar expertise. Be sure to consult  a certified tree professional and check their credentials. Tree professionals have various levels of expertise, and are certified to make judgments according to their level of specialty training. It is especially important to consult a forester when dealing with larger forested properties, as getting an adequate forest health assessment done, including an inventory of trees on a property and tree health issues observed provides the necessary starting basis for an effective forest health program.

In the case of bark beetles, their habits are such that they affect trees at a landscape level; thus, trees on a small piece of property may be affected by the presence of beetles in the surrounding properties.  Nonetheless, property owners are most often are only able to act on their own property.   That said, the larger the area that can be dealt with, the more effective treatment will be.

THE FOLLOWING IS A LIST OF TREE CARE SERVICE PROVIDERS
IN THE ROARING FORK VALLEY

ABC Tree & Lawn Care - Carbondale - 970.963.4414
American Tree and Landscape - Carbondale - 970.963.2497
Aspen Tree Service - Carbondale - 970.963.3070
Prima Plant Services - El Jebel - 970.963.6113
Roaring Fork Vegetation Management - Carbondale - 970.963.9723
Paul Scrivens Landscape & Tree Removal - Basalt - 970.948.1713
Western Timber Management - Basalt - 970.274.0120

Click here for information on Verbenone and where to get packets to treat your land.

Click here to learn how to Treat Your Trees