Pine Bark Beetle Killing Bear Valley Trees
Morning Star Outreach is facing the felling of numerous massive trees on it’s camp property in in the Bear Valley area of California – a costly and unexpected expense for this non-profit whose mission is to provide free summer camps for disadvantaged youth from inner cities.
Pine bark beetles typically attack weaker or distressed trees that have been impacted by drought or other situations. The beetles burrow into a tree’s inner bark and feed on it, and in the process infect it wit fungal diseases. Once they become active again, the tree infect are considered dead.
Removing the trees before the beetles explode from the trees later in the spring is become a priority. The best time to abate is during February and March due to reduced beetle activity and their life cycle.
There’s a real concern in the Bear Valley area about the infestation because the pine beetle infestation is spreading rapidly, and is an extremely difficult situation manage due to the density of the forest and size of infected trees. The cost to remove trees can easily run into the tens of thousands – money MSO allocated for adding more summer camps and making needed improvements to the camp itself.
As a result, Morning Star Outreach is asking for donations of any amount to help to defray the costs of cutting down the infested trees on their property.