"Forest Service Aims $40 Million at Bark Beetle Control"

"The U.S. Forest Service will receive $40 million more to address public safety concerns and forest health needs arising from the millions of acres of dead and dying trees killed by bark beetles in the West, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Colorado Governor Bill Ritter announced Tuesday. ...

The 10 year old bark beetle epidemic has increased the danger of dead and dying trees falling on roads, trails and recreation areas and also increased the wildfire risk to communities of the Rocky Mountain Region.

Forests in Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota are experiencing bark beetle epidemics at an unprecedented scale, with two million acres of mountain forests in Colorado affected and an estimated three million more in jeopardy."

Environment News Service had the story December 9, 2009.