As I mentioned in my previous blog post, healthy trees are an important determining factor when establishing value in Estes Park real estate and the Mountain Pine Beetle is a serious threat to trees in Estes Park.

If you have already taken a look at your trees and determined that your trees are still healthy and beetle free, it is wise to do everything you can to prevent the Mountain Pine Beetle from infesting your trees. To prevent the Mountain Pine Beetle from killing your trees, you will need to decide which of the following options to take depending on how many trees you have, how large your property is, and what your budget is.

Spraying with Carbaryl

Spraying is the most effective treatment you can employ to prevent the Mountain Pine Beetle. The chemical Carbaryl is a powerful insecticide that will kill many insects including the primary target: the Mountain Pine Beetle.

There are many companies that will do the spraying for you but you need to be sure they are spraying at least 30 feet or to where the tree tapers down to 6 inches in diameter. Also be sure there is little to no wind and no heavy rain in the forecast.

Here are some local tree sprayers offering services to Estes Park residences as reported by the Estes Park Tree Board:

• Horizon Forestry, 577-6154, Boulder, CO
• Kincade Tree Company, 484-8733, Fort Collins, CO
• Preventive Tree Spraying, Inc., 970-468-1254, Dillon, CO
• Swingle Tree & Lawn Services, 663-2071, Fort Collins, CO
• Cate Brothers, Inc., 970-587-0719

Verbonen Pheremone Packets

When Beetles have successfully attacked a tree, they give off a chemical Pheremone warning other Mountain Pine Beetles that “this tree is full” and to go elsewhere. This pheremone is available in the form of little white pouches you can hang on your tree to prevent the Mountain Pine Beetles from attacking.

Personally, I used these pheremone Packets on my 1 acre parcel with 37 trees successfully in the summer of 2008. While I was successful at not having a single tree hit by the beetles, there were no other beetle infested trees in my immediate neighborhood either. Honestly, I couldn’t say for sure if it was the pheremone packets that reppelled the beetles or if the beetles just skipped over my little corner of Estes Park completly.

You can order these Pheremone Packets from:

• Blooms Nursury – 970-586-4461
• AgBio – 303-469-9221

Tree Thinning

The Mountain Pine Beetle is known to attack trees that are not growing vigorously due to old age, crowding, or other poor growing condtions. The theory behind “Thinning” your trees is to create an optimum environment where the trees can grow healthy enough to withstand a beetle attack. This third option is used typically with larger stands of dense trees.

Of course, the larger the acreage, the higher the cost. However, it may be worth it in the long run. Ideally thinning would take place several years prior to a heavy infestation to give remaining trees a chance to grow healthy.

So How Do I know Which Method to Choose?

Spraying trees is the most effective. The Pheremone Verbenone packets are more “green” and safer for the overall environment, but studies have not proven they are as effective at preventing the beetle from attacking. Thinning requires time for the trees to benefit from the extra space and less competition.

If you have 1 or two trees, I would recommend spraying the trees you couldn’t live without. If you have a large property, I would recommend spraying the trees that you would be devastated to lose and then use the pheremone packets for other higher value trees.

There are plenty of free services that will offer you an opinion on how to manage your trees. You can call the Estes Park Public Works Department and get a free inspection and consultation at 970-577-3588. You can also call the Larimer County Forester at 970-498-5765 or the Colorado State Forest Service at 970-491-8660.

Trees are an important determining factor when establishing value in Estes Park real estate. The mountain pine beetle is a serious threat to the trees in the Estes Park area. Those property owners who ignore the Mountain Pine Beetle or who are not proactive in preventing the Mountain Pine Beetle from attacking their trees may have serious unfortunate repercussions in the future.

The first step in preserving and protecting your property’s value is being able to identify the mountain pine beetle and whether your trees are already infected.

What does the Mountain Pine Beetle look like?

It is actually a very small black bug. It is hard to imagine such a small bug causing such a big problem. Check out the photo and remember you can probably fit several of these little guys across your finger nail.

How can I tell if my trees are infected?

There are several tell-tale signs that the beetles have already infected your trees.

• The easiest way to tell is the presence of Pitch-tubes on your trees. Pitch tubes are the trees natural defense against predators.
• In drought conditions where trees are not healthy, pitch tubes may not be present because the tree does not have enough moisture. In this case, look for light sawdust around the base of the tree.
• Woodpeckers returning to the same tree over and over again may indicate the presence of beetles.
• The needles fade uniformly to a yellowish and eventually bright red 8-10 months after beetle infestation. By the time the color changes, the beetles are getting ready to leave the tree. (If the tree fades from outside in or from inside out, it may indicate some other health issue in the tree besides beetles.)
• Peeling back the bark to see if beetles are present is the only 100% effective way of knowing whether your tree has been successfully attacked.

Pitch Tubes are the easiest way to spot Mountain Pine Beetle infestation

Where can I get help?

The town of Estes Park is being extremely proactive in fighting the Mountain Pine Beetle. You can request a free inspection by a volunteer trained in confirming successful beetle attacks on trees. For a free inspection, call the Estes Park Public Works Department at 970-577-3588.

The town is also keeping track of all mountain pine beetle infested trees on a map. If you have property near one of the beetle icons on the map, than your risk for infestation is significantly higher.

For more information about the mountain pine beetle, check out these additional resources.

• David Leatherman PowerPoint presentation at the 2009 Estes Park Tree Symposium
• Mountain Pine Beetle Document provided by Colorado State University
• Estes Park Tree Board Web Site

Visit my next post “Prevent the Mountain Pine Beetle from Attacking Your Trees“

Many people are concerned as to how the Mountain Pine Beetle epidemic will effect Estes Park Real Estate Values. The pine beetle has decimated the forests in Grand County on the other side of the Continental Divide and Estes Park residents (myself included) are worried that the same fate lies ahead for the trees that surround Estes Park.

Yesterday, I was fortunate to attend the 3rd annual Estes Park Tree Symposium to learn all about the Mountain Pine Beetle and what local government agencies are doing to respond to the problem.

At the symposium, I gained a wealth of knowledge about the Mountain Pine Beetle and I now have tons of resources that I plan on passing along in the next few days.

Topics I plan on covering include:

• Identifying the Mountain Pine Beetle
• Preventing the beetle from attacking your trees
• Clearing and removal of beetle infested trees
• How will Estes Park real estate values be impacted?

If you have specific questions regarding the Mountain Pine Beetle and the impact it will have on the Estes Valley, please leave a comment below.