The Eagle Tree

by Ned Hayes

There are many causes of trees dying off. In the Southwest, there is the engraver beetle that has killed the Piñon Pine, and the spruce beetle and the fir beetle and the mountain pine beetle. It would be easy to blame the insects. But the truth is that all of this insect activity is coming from warming temperatures and increased stress—all of which can be directly attributed to human activity. The beetles and other insects are just our little soldiers, following in our footsteps to kill what we have given them. For example, the Canadian province of British Columbia, just north of Washington State, used to be famous for its Lodgepole Pines. But in the past ten years, 80 percent of the Lodgepole Pines have died. This is just one example of how beetles can thrive during global warming and turn forests from carbon sinks to carbon sources.