A BUG PROBLEM; Sandia Ranger Says Falling Trees Pose a Threat to Hikers

A growing bug infestation in the Sandia Mountains is not only killing trees, it could be creating a danger for people as well.

Sandia District Ranger Cid Morgan said the large number of dead trees has led to increased chances of trees falling on hikers. "I’m very concerned about the trails, especially in the Sandia Wilderness. … People need to be heads-up," she said. "If there’s a wind event (high winds), they need to be out of the woods." Morgan said dead trees are also a hazard in many of the forest’s other public areas, like picnic grounds and trailheads. It’s a problem that has outstripped the ability of the U.S. Forest Service to clear the trees, in some cases. "(Last year) we had the Capulin picnic area and snowplay area cleared of all hazards," she said. Because of the bug infestation, however, there are a number of worrying snags, or dead trees, in

that area again.

"So much has died over the winter and this summer that we just can’t keep up with it," she said.

"It’s happening so fast … the level of impact,

there’s no way we could keep up with it."

Because the fires that would normally occur in the forest have been suppressed for about 100 years, the number of trees has increased to crowded conditions, according to Morgan.

That means bugs are also on the rise.

The Western balsam bark beetle, fir engraver beetle and Douglas fir tussock moth are the bugs responsible for most of the recent tree deaths, but insect infestations are nothing new. The Cibola National Forest has endured widespread tree deaths over the past several years due to bark beetles.

The bugs are a natural part of the forest, and have always existed there, but are more successful in the crowded environment.

Although the Forest Service may use insecticide in some areas, she said she wouldn’t advise large-scale treatment of the insect problem.

"We’d have to spray with massive amounts of non-speciesspecific insecticide … you’d be killing a lot of non-target species," she said.

If such a treatment was proposed, Morgan said, much of the damage would already be done by the time the appropriate environmental analysis was processed. In addition, she would anticipate legal battles.

Looking to the future effects of the insects, Morgan said yet another danger looms after most of the dead trees have fallen.

"If they (the dead trees) are standing, they’re not much of a fire hazard," she said. "(When they fall) it will make a good bed of fuel."

When a number of trees fall, scattering in all directions, it creates what Morgan called "jackstraw conditions." Morgan explained that, from a distance, the forest looks like it is covered with handfuls of straw.

Morgan said that, if there is low moisture next year — which would mean the living trees are dried out — and lots of trees on the forest floor, "you’re talking explosive conditions, and if we get a fire in there (the Sandias) we will not be able to put it out."

In preparation, Morgan and a team of U.S. Forest Service experts have begun work on a thinning project. The goal of the project is not to save the forest from fire, but to protect the homes that are in the forest or at its edge.

Morgan said animal habitat is another factor that may also affect the areas to be treated.

"We’re looking not only at fuels treatment but also at forest health … (we’re) concentrating on removing the smaller materials, leaving pockets of totally untreated areas.

Once a few preliminary treatments have been developed, a public meeting will be held to discuss any proposed action.

According to Morgan, the thinning project won’t make the fire danger go away.

"Don’t be surprised if we have a large, catastrophic wildfire in the East Mountains," she said.

(c) 2007 Albuquerque Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.