Rocky Mountain Research Station Publications RMRS Online
Publication RM-RP-235: Ponderosa pine mortality resulting from a
mountain pine beetle outbreak McCambridge, William F.;
Hawksworth, Frank G.; Edminster, Carleton B.; Laut, John G.
1982. Ponderosa pine mortality resulting from a mountain pine
beetle outbreak. Res. Paper RM-RP-235. Fort Collins, CO: U.S.
Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Forest
and Range Experiment Station. 7 p. From 1965 to 1978, mountain
pine beetles killed 25% of the pines taller than 4.5 feet in a
study area in north-central Colorado. Average basal area was
reduced from 92 to 58 square feet per acre. Mortality increased
with tree diameter up to about 9 inches d.b.h. Larger trees
appeared to be killed at random. Mortality was directly related
to number of trees per acre and presence of dwarf mistletoe, but
not to site index, elevation, and percent Douglas-fir in the
stand. Keywords: Dendroctonus ponderosae, Pinus ponderosa
mortality, tree and stand characteristi