Global Warming Driving Western Pine Beetles To Kill Far More Ponderosa Pines In Western U.S.: Catastrophic Die-Offs Coming?
In California’s Sierra Nevada, western pine beetle infestations amped up by global warming were found to kill 30% more ponderosa pine trees than the beetles do under drought alone. A new supercomputer modeling study hints at the grim prospect of future catastrophic tree die-offs and offers insights for mitigating the combined risk of wildfires and insect outbreaks.





