Recently there have been stories relating to the demise of mature lodge pole pines in Colorado and Wyoming. One mentioned the carbon dioxide that could be released from the resulting dying bio mass. The other speaks of a Forest Service Campground safety problem resulting from the beetle killed trees.

Not too many years ago we had forest management plans to manage for these very situations. They called for timber harvest in areas that mature trees were becoming susceptible to loss by insect epidemics and other natural events. By doing this we helped maintain a sustaining timber growth and provided commodities that were beneficial while often replacing the need to exploit more finite natural resources.

Ironically these plans were based on professional knowledge and science but were replaced or over ridden by public protest that saw preservation as the key to managing forests. Well folks, we are now seeing the results in our desire to find a way to deal with dying trees. Nature is dynamic and maintaining old growth is a static situation. This desire is not unlike maintaining old people. We have yet to discover a suitable method although freeze drying appears to have some promise.