Relationship Between Fire and Bark Beetles Attack in Western North American Forests

The nature of western North American forests is the result of the interactions between fire, insects and logging. The interrelationships between forest fires and phytophagous insects is of considerable importance in determining the composition and structure of stands of forest trees. This paper examines the interactions between bark beetles and forest tree species by presenting three specific case studies. The case studies are the red turpentine beetle and ponderosa pine, the Douglas-fir beetle and Douglas-fir and the mountain pine beetle and lodgepole pine in northeastern Wyoming, western Wyoming and northern Utah respectively. A brief review of some to the literature examining the mechanisms of host selection by bark beetles is presented