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Empire of the Beetle

How Human Folly and a Tiny Bug Are Killing North America's Great Forests
Feb 24, 2012zipread rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Empire of the Beetle --- by Andrew Nikiforuk Bugs, Bugs, Bugs. Or perhaps it should more precisely be Beetles and Beetles and how they interact with their forest environments and how this relationship can be botched by “forest management”. Western forest of lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, as well as eastern Balsam and numerous other species are at risk, especially in those areas that have been “managed” through fire suppression and pesticide use. The attackers are sly. They exploit the sudden advantage bequeathed upon them by climatic change; they have ramped up their fertility to produce larger and larger swarms of invaders. The result is predictable. This provides a wealth of information about the culprits and how they accomplish their mission. It is explicit in its description of the plant weaknesses that dooms the trees. It does all of this in the context of the environment within which these plants grow. This may not be everybody’s read but it will certainly appeal to environmentalists in general and, more specifically, to those with an interest in North America’s forest.