Pestilence

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Bark beetles feasting on Utah trees are creating a double problem — they're killing off portions of Utah's forests and creating fuel for wildfires. Between 1990 and 2005, two types of wood-boring beetles ate their way through more than 466,000 acres of Utah forests. Colleen Keyes, forest health manager for the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands, said the Dixie National Forest has been significantly impacted by the tiny predators. She says beetles have wiped out hundreds of thousands of acres — nearly all the forest's spruce. "It's really something to see," she said. "It's just dead trees as far as the eye can see." In some regions, the increased number of beetles are considered "outbreak proportions" that could negatively affect recreation, wildlife and watersheds. Sustained winter cold snaps were traditionally one of the best ways to stop bark beetle outbreaks. Warmer winters have allowed the beetles to survive and breed more quickly.