Lodgepole Pine Killed By Pine Bark Beetle Royalty-Free Stock Photo

Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) on distant mountains in Colorado killed during an epidemic of Mountain pine beetle (MPB), Dendroctonus ponderosae, native to the forests of western North America. The current epidemic (as of 2010) is the result of warm temperatures and dense stands of lodgepole pine. Forests of the U.S. West are very crowded with older trees due to fire suppression efforts by humans