Rapid Warming Spreads Havoc in Canada's Forests

The Washington Post's Doug Struck declares "Millions of acres of Canada's lush green forests are turning red in spasms of death. A voracious beetle, whose population has exploded with the warming climate, is killing more trees than wildfires or logging."
Is this sensationalist propaganda to push the old global warming ticket, or based on facts backed up by raw data?
The beetle in question is the bark beetle. A little seemingly harmless creature attracted to the smell of ethanol and decaying matter, like most things on the planet nowadays. They are known to attack trees already weakened by drought, and since Canada and much of the Northwestern United States have been experiencing a drought for the past four years, these supple pines are ripe for devastation.
One expert on the phenomenon states that two main causes are contributing to this frenzy. The first is unnaturally dense forests due to misguided conservation measures from the past century. Forest fires are not always a bad thing, and many places actually need to burn periodically to weed out the old and bring in new growth, much like civilizations throughout history (our modern day 'Rome' shall burn again I assure you). These beetles can move a lot easier through this denser forest. The second cause is allegedly global warming, warmer temperatures means these beetles aren't dying off every year as they should, and instead are spreading to more northern and traditionally colder locales, at all estimates double the area every year.
So the question is, are these beetles just natures natural defense mechanism? Is this a sign of an ecosystem that is stressed by rising temperatures, drought, and misconservation? The final answer is.... we'll have to wait and see. It is alarming though to realize that beetles are causing more deforestation than logging and human development. If temperatures keep rising in Canada, real estate is going to boom, and I for one wouldn't mind sharing some space with evil pine slurping beetles as long as I can get it at 10 dollars and acre.
Remember to clap at your TV when you see Los Angeles's surrounding high priced acres burning. WEED OUT HOLLYWEIRD!
- JC Editor The Constant Skeptic
read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bark_beetle


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