Occurrence of Bark Beetles Following Wildfires

The wildfires of 2017 took a direct toll on millions of trees across the Montana landscape. In some cases, trees on the periphery of these fires and in areas of lesser severity were merely scorched. Although these scorched trees may not die outright, they could be poised for attack by a variety of beetles. Partially burned Douglas-fir are particularly susceptible to Douglas-fir beetle.

Douglas-fir beetle is not an especially aggressive beetle and generally attacks Douglas-fir trees that are stressed by root disease, windthrow or fire scorch. As the beetles bore into the tree, they kick out red...