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WEDNESDAY, MAY 21, 2003

BARK BEAST: A spruce beetle, Dendroctonus engelmanni. Damage by the tiny insect. Images: Bark Beetles of North America.

There's a new enemy in Indian Country and it's not termination. It's the bark beetle, a tiny insect that has brought big headaches to some tribes in the West.

Federal and state officials in the region have announced an outbreak of the creature, which is considered a native species. The San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona was one of the hardest hit, suffering up to 80 to 90 percent tree mortality rates, according to the University of Arizona.

But beyond killing trees, the infestation poses other risks, according to some familiar with the problem. Bark beetles attack dry trees and overcrowded forests, two factors associated with a rash of wildfires West has seen in recent years.

And although the U.S. Forest Service has downplayed the threat, the sentiments play nicely into the Bush administration's "Healthy Forest Initiative," which was the subject of a major push yesterday by government officials.

Secretary of Interior Gale Norton touted her role in the effort, taking part in an "Ask the White House" session on the White House website. She was posed not one but two questions about bark beetles and tribes. The nearly identical queries were picked by White House staff.

"The tribes in the Southwest over the past several years have been battling forest fires, droughts, and insect infestations e.g., the bark beetle and have sought federal assistance from your agency," wrote Debbie from the San Carlos Apache Tribe.

"What is the administration doing to assist tribes in the Southwest to battle the bark beetle infestation which is killing massive amounts of forests, thereby greatly increasing the risk of fire, especially given the severe drought over the past several years?" asked Steve from Arizona.

Norton's responses were hardly groundbreaking. "The Bureau of Indian Affairs at Interior has been working closely with tribes on forest initiatives," she said to Debbie. "In many ways, tribes have been leaders in developing healthy forest practices."

"Legislation that the House of Representatives passed today by a bipartisan majority would enhance work by the Forest Service and U.S. Geological Survey researching ways of controlling these problems," she told Steve.

Tribes combat bark beetles in a number of ways. The Mescalero Apache Tribe of New Mexico employs thinning to remove infected trees and to prevent the insects from attacking new ones.

The White Mountain Apache Tribe of Arizona, still suffering from the effects of last year's devastating Rodeo-Chedeski Fire, which destroyed more than half of the reservation, is also seeing an infestation problem. The tribe's timber industry has been wrecked, causing the loss of hundreds of jobs and revenue to the tribe.

But for now, tribes have to rely primarily on their own resources to keep their trust assets intact. The fiscal year 2004 budget does include money for invasive species, but it's in the area of research. The problem costs the American economy an estimated $137 billion per year, according to the Department of Agriculture.

Gerry George is a fuels planner for the Bureau of Indian Affairs agency that serves the Ute Mountain Ute Reservation in Colorado. He attributes the insect invasion to overcrowded forests.

"That's my theory about why we have the bark beetle now –- because Mother Nature decided it was time to cleanse herself," he said in a Fort Lewis College article.

Relevant Documents:
Ask The White House: Gale Norton (May 20, 2003)

Relevant Links:
Bark Beetles of North America - http://www.barkbeetles.org
Bark Beetle Fact Sheet, U.S. Forest Service - http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/resources/health/beetle/faq.shtml
Beetle Infestation, Southwest Colorado Fire Information Clearinghouse - http://www.southwestcoloradofires.org/pinon.htm