Forests, Beetles, and the Cycles of Life
Vast stands of coniferous forest are an essential part of the ecology, economy, and character of western North America. Recent dramatic changes, such as forest mortality from insect outbreaks and increased fire activity, are occurring across huge areas of western forests. Forest, Beetles, and the Cycles of Life explores the past, present and future of our forests by traveling through space and time to understand the connections between local forest ecosystems, global forest biomes, and our cosmic neighborhood. It examines how pine beetles have changed Colorado’s landscapes, how these infestations arose, and their impacts on forests of western North America.
This event originally took place at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science’s Gates Planetarium (Denver, CO) on June 4, 2013.
Program kit
Script and storyboard, installer, and the data sources used.
Script & Storyboard
- Read the storyboard (web page)
- Open the script and storyboard (Google Doc)
Installer Download
Uniview Installer Files
- wvn11_beetles_FINAL.msi (347MB)
- Requires Uniview 1.5
Data Sources
- American Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium Digital Universe Atlas
- Databasin
- Landfire
- NASA Earth Observations
- NASA MODIS Vegetation Continuous Fields
- Natureserve
- NOAA Climate.gov
- NOAA National Climatic Data Center
- Oregon State University PRISM 800m – Hamilton Lab Analysis
- Oregon State University Ocean Primary Productivity
- Rocky Mountain National Park
- University of Idaho, Department of Geography
- US Drought Monitor
- World Resources Institute
- World Wildlife Fund
Videos and visualizations related to the program.
Colorado’s Forests and the Pine Beetle Epidemic
Professor Jeff Mitton and researchers from the University of Colorado explain the connection between the unprecedented mountain pine beetles epidemic and climate change in Colorado.
Mountain Pine Beetle Documentary
Student documentary about the Mountain Pine Beetle
The Black Hills and the Mountain Pine Beetle
This 30-minute television documentary from South Dakota Public Broadcasting looks at the various impacts of a significant, multi-year Mountain Pine Beetle infestation in the Black Hills.
The Pine Beetle Project
The Pine Beetle Project was funded by the Department of Energy to study how the recent deaths of pine trees in the mountains of the Western US are likely to affect regional and global carbon budgets. An unprecedented outbreak of mountain pine beetle populations has caused widespread mortality, especially in lodgepole pine forests. Their studies have shown that the forests will shift from being a carbon sink to being a carbon source.
Mountain Pine Beetle and Forest Carbon in British Columbia
Mountain pine beetle attacks have decimated BCs pine forests, seriously damaging their ability to store carbon and protect against global warming. An effective response to the beetle attacks will involve much more than just clearcutting dead trees.
The Beetles are Coming: Pine Beetle Destroys British Columbia Forests
The Beetles are Coming takes the viewer on a rich, up close and personal journey into the world of the Mountain Pine Beetle, and uncovers the science behind this ecological disaster. The story of this remarkable little creature the size of a grain of rice that will destroy the pine forests of North America epitomizes the cause and effect of how climate change can upset the balance of nature with unpredictable, unimaginable, devastating results. Forest officials scrambled to contain the damage. Once the lodgepole pines turned red they burned with a ferocious intensity. That combined with hot summers, created the ideal conditions for raging out-of-control forest fires. Industry began logging the infected trees in attempt to clear the forest and capitalize on the economic value of the timber. At considerable expense, forestry officials in B.C. and Alberta began marking and burning infested trees to control the spread but found it impossible to keep up.
- Forest Health: Mountain Pine Beetle (National Park Service)
- Frequently Asked Questions About Mountain Pine Beetles in Colorado (US Forest Service)
- Colorado Mountain Pine Beetle (Colorado State)
- Rocky Mountain Bark Beetle (Forest Service)
- Learn More About Climate (UC Boulder)
- Climate.gov (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
- National Park Service Volunteer Program
- Society for Ecological Restoration
- Colorado Tree Coalition
- Colorado Forest Restoration Institute
- Colorado Watershed Assembly
The people and organizations behind the program.
Partners
- NOAA Office of Education
- National Park Service
- Denver Museum of Nature and Science
- California Academy of Sciences
- The Elumenati
- NOAA Climate Program Office
Funders
Presenters
- Bob Raynolds (DMNS)
- Ka Chun Yu (DMNS)
- Healy Hamilton (NatureServe)
Scriptwriting
- Dr. Bob Raynolds (DMNS)
- Dr. Ka Chun Yu (DMNS)
- Dr. Healy Hamilton (NatureServe)
Science Advisors
- Healy Hamilton (NatureServe)
- Bob Raynolds (DMNS)
- Ka Chun Yu (DMNS)
GIS & Visualizations
- Cynthia Powell
- Ka Chun Yu
- Lydia Hooper
- Ned Gardiner
- Healy Hamilton
Production Coordination
- Kathi Koontz
Technical Support
- Ka Chun Yu
- Greg Mancari
Acknowledgements
- Colorado School of Mines: Reed Maxwell and team
- Colorado State Climatologist: Nolan Doeskin, Noah Newman
- Colorado State Forest Service, Granby District: Ron Cousineau
- Colorado State University: Dr. Jason Sibold
- Colorado State University Rocky Mountain Research Station: Ron Hubbard
- Databasin: Tosha Comendant and Tara Starr Marvin
- National Park Service, Intermountain Regional Office: David Vana-Miller
- Natureserve: Regan Smyth, Ricky White, and Lori Scott
- Rocky Mountain National Park: Ron Thomas, Doug Watry, and Jeff Connor
- Rocky Mountain National Park, Kawuneech Visitors Center: Andrew Redman, Sharon Teal
- USFS, Lakewood, Region 2: Brian Howell
- USFS Sulphur Ranger District: Craig Magwire
- University of Colorado, Boulder: Teresa Chapman
- University of Idaho: Arjan Meddens, Jeff Hicke
- World Resources Institute: Susan Minnemeyer, Robin Kraft, and James Anderson