Hungry Horse news., 1952-08-01
The Gray Ghosts

Mankind is well aware of destruction that comes
from swarms of ocusts and grasshoppers that dark
the very skies and then turn green fields ground
bare
The insect world can also take the for
ests 1t is catastrophe that dwarfs the largest
forest fires.
There is the spruce bark beetle. 1t has killed
four billion board feet of spruce forests in the
state of Colorado. That's enough timber to build
100000 homes. Lumber mills, vacation resorts and
communities found surrounding lne-giving forests
turned into gray insect killed ghosts.
The spruce beetle is hard shelled one-eighth
inch long insect with a two-year life cycle. The
second year finds the beetle getting under the bark
making tunnels in live tissue of the tree Tor depos-
iting eggs The spruce often dies in year.
When there are windfalls overmature or 9TH
erwise poor trees the beetles have an easier time
These trees relates John Castles, Flathead nation
al forest assistant supervisor, don't fight back Ex-
uding pitch or having bark more difficult to pen
citrate are methods of tree self-protectlon
Unfortunately danger of the spruce bark bee
tie is not as far away as Colorado. The epidemic
is lust west of the Flathead in the neighborng
Kootenai forest centering around Libby.
Spruce bark beetles spread much as do fires,
and summer wind direction is from the hootenal
into the Flathead.
The problem is serious, and one that is caus-
ing apprehension in local numbering circles, as well
as at forest headquarters.
Already underway in the Kootenai is the only
ging The beetles tend to tackle recently downed
timber instead of standing trees, and there is also
salvage of the resources that would otherwise be
wasted. Present chemical control costs $40 and
more for big tree
Report from the Kootenai is follows: "Many
of the larger stands are inaccessible by present
roads, which makes the control of the epidemic and
the logging of the infected timber problem Large
amounts of the infected timber have already been
offered for sale, and personnel of the timber man
agement staff of the Kootenai forest are mapping
routes by which this timber might be reached, max
ing use of existing roads wherever possible, with
additional roads to be constructed the most
favorable routes
With logging in progress and to increase, high
forest service officials from Washington and other
points have been in session in Libby
There isn't even mountain barrier between
this insect war battle-ground and the Flathead which
has an estimated one billion $50 million board feet
of national forest spruce Of this total there is 900
million board feet of spruce the Fatheads North
Fork which is prime spruce area, and 500 mill
ion board feet in the larger South and Middle Fork
Coram working circle.
4 Economic consequences of this loss can be con-
sidered in terms of the prevailing $50 thousand
board feet paid for surfaced dried spruce loaded in
the Flathead ready for shipment Destruction of
scenery is as important.
Flathead national forest officials are maintain
ing map of the bark beetle epidemic The enemy
has already taken stand Whale Coal, Big and
Canyon creeks up the North Fork, and near Tally
lake. Hope is that the threat is at its height
and will diminish
Yet the beetle threat does not disappear, for
bark beetles ordinarily account for a spruce loss
of about one-haf of per cent However north