By: Lendsy Barriga

A one minute glimpse wouldn’t inform you about the situation Colorado’s pine trees are in.

A large number of pine beetles are devouring these poor trees as well as the food and habitats of many other animal species all over the country. The mountains are full of dead trees, a scene that instantly paralyzes you.
Climate change is a major factor in this, causing the pine beetle population to rise rapidly in recent years. It is believed that warmer winters are letting pine beetles expand rapidly. As you enter the forest, you don’t see many pine trees popping out with their dark green color. Instead, you see a large number of light brown colored pine needles on the floor that make you wonder why they’re under these circumstances and what is causing them to die.
Many forests around the country are now infested with these pine beetles, and it is now spreading into Canadian forests. The Rocky Mountains are now being affected by these pine beetles as well as the Black Hills of South Dakota. Lodgepole and Ponderosa pine forests across Colorado are being affected in particular. Thousands of acres of pine trees are dead throughout the country, but many people seem not to care or they have no idea what is occurring.
This is all a process of nature, but the beetles are getting out of control, and we are not capable of putting an end to this situation. Also, if there is only a small portion of pine trees, it can have various negative impacts on the environment. These include that animal species won’t have a habitat, the acidification of the soil, the roots of the pine tree that penetrate the water, and most importantly, photosynthesis, the process of life and oxygen production.