Battling the Pine Beetle In Summ

Breck steps up beetle battle

BY BOB BERWYN
summit daily news
Summit County, CO Colorado
May 14, 2007

BRECKENRIDGE — As an epochal wave of mountain pine beetles sweeps south through Summit County, officials in Breckenridge hope to reduce the loss of trees by taking the battle door to door.

“If I had known it was going to go this fast, I would have tried to do it sooner,” said Dan Dahlberg, watching as Breckenridge beetle inspector Chip Buttrick marked trees on his forested lot with orange spray paint.

Dahlberg was referring to the startling speed with which the voracious bugs have chewed their way through local lodgepole pine forests. When he first had his property surveyed for beetles last year, he found 10 infested trees. By mid-May of this year, that number had climbed to 38.

Up in the Highlands, the infestation has spread nearly five-fold in the past 12 months. A year ago, the neighborhood identified about 1,500 infested trees. So far this spring, that number stands somewhere between 5,000 and 6,000 trees. Countywide, best estimates are that the insects will kill perhaps up to 80 or 90 percent of the susceptible mature trees before all is said and done.

Nobody believes the beetles can be stopped completely. But Buttrick hopes that a targeted, tactical approach — combining aggressive removal and extensive spraying — will help preserve some high-value trees as the wave sweeps through the town.
“We’re doing what we can to preserve property values,” Buttrick said, carefully chipping away some bark on one of Dahlberg’s lodgepoles to see if the female beetle laid eggs.

It’s a time-intensive crusade, and Buttrick expects to be at it all summer long, even with the help of an intern who will soon join the staff to assist with property inspections.

On Dahlberg’s lot, Buttrick is more conservative than the private contractor. After determining that a few of the trees previously marked for removal may not be fatally infested, he removed the flagging tape.

“These can stay,” he said, explaining that the goal is to find a balance between removing trees that could lead to further infestation, but preserving the forest feel that makes some of the town’s neighborhoods so appealing.

Town officials want every property owner in Breckenridge to call the pine beetle hotline to schedule an inspection, with the goal of cutting and chipping infested trees by the end of June, before the mature bugs fly off to lay their eggs in new trees.
Under a recently adopted ordinance, infested trees have been declared a nuisance and property owners are responsible for removing them, but the town will help with the cost of chipping the dead and dying trees. To speed up the labor-intensive process, homeowners need to stack the cut trees by the road neatly, butt-ends out, with limbs in separate piles, Buttrick said.

The date is critical, Buttrick said, explaining that it’s not just an arbitrary deadline, but related to the biological reality of the pine beetle life cycle.

Dahlberg was expecting to pay somewhere around $9,000 to have the infested trees on his lot cut down, but by the time Buttrick finishes his inspection, it looks like that tab will have declined somewhat.

“I’m just interested in trees that have bugs in them,” Buttrick said, explaining that his focus is on removing trees with eggs that are vectors for new infestations this summer.

Important dates and information
Breckenridge pine beetle hotline: (970) 547-3131, ext. 1010

Property owners should leave their name, physical address, legal address (if known), phone number and e-mail address to schedule a timely pine beetle inspection.

Additional questions can be directed to town planner Jenn Cram, (970) 547-3116.

The important dates for the Town of Breckenridge and homeowners are:
— June 30: Deadline to cut down MPB-infested trees and to inform the town that the trees are down so the town can pick them up for chipping.
— July 15: Last day The town will provide chipping for free in 2007.

Bob Berwyn can be reached at (970) 331-5996, or at bberwyn@summitdaily.com.