Sunday, myself and a partner headed toward Jackson Peak given the newly opened Curtis Canyon road and good spring snow conditions. Good snow coverage, soft conditions and straightforward approach contributed to a great day in the mountains. However, the one thig I couldn't help but notice was the presence of dead trees everywhere. A phenomenon that I only recently learned about in-depth, it was a sobering look at the devastation caused by the recent proliferation of the Mountain Pine Beetle.

Although a native species to the local eco-system, the mountain pine beetle has flourished in recent years presumably becase of more mild winters which support increased numbers of beatles. The cycle starts in the summer as beetles fly through the forest searching for living Whitebark Pine trees. When they find one, they chew their way through the bark and lay new eggs in tunnels they build. These eggs remain under the bark all winter — this is when cold temps have traditionally kept the beetle population in check by killing a percentage of the larvae. As spring arrives, the larvae feed on the inner tree bark, and grow into new adult mountain pine beetles. The new beetles leave the tree and the cycle repeats itself. You can tell a whitebark that’s been recently attacked by mountain pine beetles by the pitch tubes dotting the bark — small, red mounds of sap and sawdust marking the beetles’ bore holes... (learn more at treefight.org)

(Map: Mortality of the Whitebark Pine in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem)