Spruce Trees are Dying in Alaska Due to Persistent Beetle Infestation

As the beetle infestation that plagued the trees continues, more spruce trees are dying in Alaska.

In the North Folk Area, 80 acres of land will be mulched down by machines with masticating heads, according to a news release from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game on Thursday.

According to the department, standing dead trees will typically be left alone to preserve bird and insect habitats.

Even though there have been many moose populations and hunting has been effective, it has been observed that the present habitat trends could result in a decline in moose populations in the future because, according to the department's research, cows and calves in the region have the propensity to become malnourished in the late winter.

ADF&G Assisting Nature During the Winter

Additionally, Fish and Game will scarify the soil to get rid of bluejoint reedgrass and expose the mineral soil, which will allow willows and birch to grow because they are more palatable to moose than it is.

The willows' habitat will remain free of grass thanks to the mulching of the trees, giving them more access to sunlight.

All of this is a result of spruce beetles consuming trees on the Kenai Peninsula, which has led to a trend of declining habitat quality in the region.

Machines will soon be able to operate in the area as the ground is currently frozen, which will help prevent machines from damaging the environment with erosion.

Taking advantage of the currently frozen ground, which will deter the machines from eroding the environment, they will soon be operating there.

The department noted that although treating these areas increases moose access to food, it also concentrates animals to the point which makes them more exposed to predators.

The department will continue to oversee the land in this way because controlled burns won't be feasible for several years due to the number of coordinated elements that need to be set up, according to the release.

In the Fritz Creek Critical Habitat Area and the Anchor River, the ADF&G collaborated with the Homer Soil and Water Conservation District to conduct similar operations, which have already resulted in the regeneration of plants for moose to be able to forage, Alaska's News Source reported.

Spruce Beetles

A bark beetle, the spruce beetle attacks white spruce trees in interior Alaska as well as Sitka and Lutz spruce trees in south-central Alaska.

By eating and reproducing in the phloem, bark beetles kill trees by boring through the bark.

As it carries food produced in the needles down to the roots, the phloem is essential to trees; if it becomes girdled, the tree will perish.

In spruce forests, there are always a few small populations of beetles.

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, the majority of the time, parasites and insect predators keep the population of beetles low, but under the right circumstances, they can suddenly reach epidemic levels.

Large tracts of forest on the Copper River Basin, Kenai Peninsula, and Anchorage Hillside have been decimated by spruce bark beetles.

The beetle had an impact on nearly three million acres of Lutz and white spruce forests in the 1990s.

Infested spruce on more than 900,000 acres as well as newly infected spruce was found in 1995.

Today, according to the USDA Forest Service, since the beetles have basically eaten themselves out of their habitat, the intense rate of beetle kill appears to have decreased on the Kenai Peninsula and throughout the Anchorage Hillside.

However, there are still a few isolated areas in Alaska where infestations are still present, such as the Copper River Basin and the vicinity of Seldovia, Lake Iliamna, and Haines.