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“
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