Why Our Warm Winter Is Bad News for Pine Trees

Added: 2026-05-25

[00:00:00]Two numbers are out tonight showing just how much pine beetles are devastating forests in our state. Today, the Colorado State Forest Service released its report on the beetles. Officials say in 2025, mountain pine beetles impacted more than 5,500 acres of pine forests on the front range. That's more than a 150% increase from 2024. These beetles harm the trees by boring into the bark and clogging the trees' vascular system.

[00:00:28]This ultimately dries out the tree and kills it. The Forest Service says our warm winter and low snowpack this year will only make the trees dry out quicker. At the beginning of this year, Governor Polis created the Mountain Pine Beetle Task Force. It helps to develop strategies to protect our forest and communities from this outbreak.