Black Hills "at war" with pine beetles - KOTA Territory News

Black Hills "at war" with pine beetles

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It's war in the Black Hills and so far the Mountain Pine Beetles are winning. That's the message Wednesday at a National Forest Advisory Board meeting held in Rapid City.

After a project subcommittee report, the board decided to support a new action to battle the beetle.  It will allow the Forest Service to continue thinning and treating infected trees in cooperation with other agencies.  Members of the N.F.A.B say that collaboration is key, and they are willing to work with anyone who steps up to help.

Board member Ev Hoyt says that the pine beetle problem is now bigger than any one entity. "This is our Katrina, it's our Missouri River flooding, it's the Gulf oil spill, but it's right here in the Black Hills, and it's the Mountain Pine Beetle attacking our forest," said Hoyt.

The infestation started about 13 years ago. The Black Hills National Forest Service estimates that 400,000 acres out of 1.2 million have been affected by the pine beetles.

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