Beetle killed trees lie on the burned ground of the Beaver Creek Fire which continues to burn on August 23, 2016 in Walden, Colorado. The fire, which started June 19, 2016, is approximately 24 miles northwest of Walden and is burning in heavy beetle killed timber in the Medicine Bow and Routt National Forests and BLM lands. It has so far affected 37,381 acres and is 53% contained.
The U.S. Forest Service estimates 6.3 billion dead trees were still standing in 11 Western states in 2015, up from 5.8 billion in 2010.
The numbers come from the agency’s annual Forest Inventory Analysis Program and include trees at least 5 inches (127 millimeters) in diameter.
The agency estimates roughly 20 percent of the standing dead trees in 2015 were killed by bark beetles. Other causes of death include drought, disease and fire.
The proliferation of standing dead threes has forced firefighters to change tactics, sometimes cutting containment lines farther from the flames to avoid the danger of injury or death from falling trees.
A state-by-state look at the numbers of standing dead trees in 2015 compared with previous available totals:
Montana: 1.2 billion, up 159 million since 2010
Colorado: 834 million, up 153.2 million since 2010
Idaho: 814 million, up 76 million since 2010
Wyoming: 619 million, up 8.8 million since 2012
Washington: 593 million, up 24.3 million since 2011
Oregon: 571 million, down 7.7 million since 2010
California: 499 million, up 29.5 million since 2010
Utah: 436 million, up 30.9 million since 2010
New Mexico: 341 million, up 20.4 million since 2013
Arizona: 275 million, up 4.8 million since 2010
Nevada: 145 million, up 1 million since 2012
Dan Elliott, The Associated Press
In this July 12, 2017, photo, Ben Brack, a firefighter and public information officer, tests the stability of a beetle-killed tree at the site of a wildfire locally called the Keystone fire, near Albany, Wyo. The fire was burning in a dense forest of beetle-killed trees, which pose a safety hazard for firefighters because the trees, weakened by the bugs, topple more easily than living trees.
Dan Elliott, The Associated Press
In this July 12, 2017, photo, Ben Brack, a firefighter and public information officer, stands by a tree killed by beetles at the site of a wildfire locally called the Keystone fire, near Albany, Wyo. Vast stands of dead timber in the Western U.S. have forced firefighters to shift tactics, trying to stay out of the shadow of lifeless, unstable trees that could come crashing down with deadly force. The U.S. Forest Service says about 20 percent were likely killed by a massive beetle outbreak.
Dan Elliott, The Associated Press
In this July 12, 2017, photo, a fallen tree burns in the Keystone fire near Albany, Wyo. The fire was burning in a dense forest of beetle-killed trees, which pose a safety hazard for firefighters because the trees, weakened by the bugs, topple more easily than living trees.
Dan Elliott, The Associated Press
In this July 12, 2017, photo, dead beetles lie on the inside of a piece of bark peeled from a beetle-killed tree near Albany, Wyo. Since 2000, two dozen species of beetles have killed trees on nearly 85,000 square miles in the Western U.S. Thatap an area about the size of Utah.
Dan Elliott, The Associated Press
In this July 12, 2017, photo, a dead pine beetle is shown on the inside of a piece of bark peeled from a beetle-killed tree near Albany, Wyo. U.S. Forest Service statistics compiled for The Associated Press show that about 6.3 billion dead trees are still standing in 11 western states, up from 5.8 billion five years earlier. The Forest Service says about 20 percent were likely killed by a massive beetle outbreak.
Dan Elliott, The Associated Press
In this July 12, 2017, photo, a dead beetle lies on a firefighter's leather glove near Albany, Wyo. U.S. Forest Service statistics compiled for The Associated Press show that about 6.3 billion dead trees are still standing in 11 western states, up from 5.8 billion five years earlier. The Forest Service says about 20 percent were likely killed by a massive beetle outbreak.
Dan Elliott, The Associated Press
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In this July 12, 2017, photo, Ben Brack, a firefighter and public information officer, tests the stability of a beetle-killed tree at the site of a wildfire locally called the Keystone fire, near Albany, Wyo. The fire was burning in a dense forest of beetle-killed trees, which pose a safety hazard for firefighters because the trees, weakened by the bugs, topple more easily than living trees.
