Barrasso: Beetles Pose Dangerous Threat

Press Release

Senator John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) has called for action to curb the dangerous threat posed by the bark beetle.

"These beetles continue to claim acre after acre at an alarming rate. Not only is this devastating to our forests, it is a clear and present wildfire threat to public land users, communities and homeowners."

Barrasso raised his concerns with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Department of Agriculture during an Environment and Public Works Committee hearing into invasive species.

"These beetles destroy our forests and leave nothing but standing dead timber in their wake. We have mountains of kindling just waiting to burn."

In the Medicine Bow National Forest, almost a half million acres of trees are infected by bark beetles. A Forest Service analysis shows the epidemic doubled in size between 2007 and 2008.

"We must go into the forests, remove some of this dead timber and reduce the risk of catastrophic fire," Barrasso said. "The threats to our forests and the species that inhabit these forests are very real. More must be done."

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