In my ongoing effort to control the spread of beetle kill, I hired the skilled folks at Acker Tree Service to come in and take out some of the infested trees that are too complicated for me to take out myself. If you can get to the trees soon enough, burn, cover with plastic, or chip, its possible to slow the spread. The steep and rugged terrain here makes the job tough. Low to moderate intensity wildfire and cold winters are two natural processes that have kept beetle populations in check. Beetles and trees have been dancing for millions of years, but one does not need to dig too deep to learn about the the effect human-caused climate change is having altering these cycles as we see them today. A history of fire suppression is having it’s effect as well.