The document summarizes the mountain pine beetle epidemic affecting the forests of the western United States and Canada. It describes how the pine beetle is killing vast swaths of lodgepole pine trees, covering over 1.5 million acres in Colorado and 33.3 million acres in British Columbia. Experts note this epidemic is unprecedented and exacerbated by climate change, as warmer temperatures and drought have stressed the trees making them more susceptible to beetle infestation. The widespread tree deaths have economic and ecological impacts and increase wildfire risks, demonstrating the effects of environmental problems.

1. THE LAST STAND The mountain pine beetle and the West’s dying forests (and how a small-town newspaper told the story)

3. A common Colorado sight

6. The culprit