EDITORIAL: Bipartisan effort on bark beetles welcome

Posted 10/7/10

Despite the extreme partisanship that characterizes most political stories this year, there are times when Republicans and Democrats do cooperate.

Wyoming's senators, according to news reports, have joined senators of both parties from Colorado, …

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EDITORIAL: Bipartisan effort on bark beetles welcome

Posted

Despite the extreme partisanship that characterizes most political stories this year, there are times when Republicans and Democrats do cooperate.Wyoming's senators, according to news reports, have joined senators of both parties from Colorado, South Dakota and Nebraska in asking the Forest Service to spend more money fighting bark beetles in Western forests.A drive up the North Fork provides ample evidence of the bark beetle problem in the form of hundreds of dead and dying trees, so the senators' concern is justified.The biggest concern is that the dead trees pose a major fire hazard, although there is disagreement among scientists about how big that danger actually is.Fire is not the only concern, though. According to University of Wyoming researchers, the death of so many trees may temporarily increase the mountain snowpack, but the lack of shade will mean a faster runoff, causing more erosion. When the trees disappear, wind and sun will have a negative effect on the snowpack, and the runoff, while it may fill the reservoirs, will carry more silt without trees to slow the flow. In addition, the water may contain excess nitrogen, which is now absorbed by the living trees.For recreationists, a big concern is safety. Dead trees falling into campgrounds pose a danger, and may make it necessary to close campgrounds temporarily. Hiking trails will be similarly affected.Wildlife habitat also will suffer as the trees that provide cover disappear.The senators are asking that $49 million be devoted to battling the beetle infestation and rehabilitating the damaged forests. Given the danger posed by fires, the expense of fighting them, and the damage threatening watersheds and wildlife, that expenditure is more than justified.Our senators should be commended for participating in this bipartisan effort to fight the infestation.

Despite the extreme partisanship that characterizes most political stories this year, there are times when Republicans and Democrats do cooperate.

Wyoming's senators, according to news reports, have joined senators of both parties from Colorado, South Dakota and Nebraska in asking the Forest Service to spend more money fighting bark beetles in Western forests.

A drive up the North Fork provides ample evidence of the bark beetle problem in the form of hundreds of dead and dying trees, so the senators' concern is justified.

The biggest concern is that the dead trees pose a major fire hazard, although there is disagreement among scientists about how big that danger actually is.

Fire is not the only concern, though. According to University of Wyoming researchers, the death of so many trees may temporarily increase the mountain snowpack, but the lack of shade will mean a faster runoff, causing more erosion. When the trees disappear, wind and sun will have a negative effect on the snowpack, and the runoff, while it may fill the reservoirs, will carry more silt without trees to slow the flow. In addition, the water may contain excess nitrogen, which is now absorbed by the living trees.

For recreationists, a big concern is safety. Dead trees falling into campgrounds pose a danger, and may make it necessary to close campgrounds temporarily. Hiking trails will be similarly affected.

Wildlife habitat also will suffer as the trees that provide cover disappear.

The senators are asking that $49 million be devoted to battling the beetle infestation and rehabilitating the damaged forests. Given the danger posed by fires, the expense of fighting them, and the damage threatening watersheds and wildlife, that expenditure is more than justified.

Our senators should be commended for participating in this bipartisan effort to fight the infestation.

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