BOULDER – The mountain pine beetle is in the midst of its most intense and widespread epidemic in recorded history. The geographic infestation extends from New Mexico to the Yukon Territory and from the front range of Colorado to the Pacific Ocean.  It is already 10 times bigger than the second largest epidemic in history. 

In Colorado alone, more than 3 million acres of forests have already been affected.

In a newly-released video, entitled “Colorado’s Forests and the Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic,”CU-Boulder scientists explain what happens when pine beetles attack trees and how climate change – which has led to longer, warmer and drier growing seasons – makes the trees more vulnerable to these attacks.

“Climate change has also contributed to this epidemic by speeding beetle development and increasing their reproductive output,” says Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Professor Jeff Mitton, whose research is featured in the video.  Mitton has found that some beetles are producing two generations of offspring in one season, a dramatic increase from traditional beetle development of one generation per season.

Part of CU-Boulder’s “Learn More About Climate” initiative, which brings climate change-related information to communities across the state, the video also offers a glimpse at what the state’s forests might look like in the future.

“Colorado’s Forests and the Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic” is the sixth in a series of videos that can be viewed at LearnMoreAboutClimate.colorado.edu— an online tool that localizes climate change by pairing interviews with leading scientists and everyday Coloradans to explain how climate change is affecting our state.  The site also offers resources for teachers, students, policy makers and community members who want to learn more about this critical issue. 

To view “Colorado’s Forests and the Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic,” please visit LearnMoreAboutClimate.colorado.edu.