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| Forester Bill Coburn (left) with Program Chairman Leo Orme (center) and President Brian Kline. |
Bill Coburn has had a busy week.
The Procurement Forester for Neiman Timber Co., which runs
mills in Spearfish and Hill City, South Dakota, as well as Hulett, Wyoming,
made stops in both Spearfish and Belle Fourche this week to talk about the continuing battle against the mountain pine beetle.
Coburn told his story to the Spearfish City Council on
Tuesday night, outlining the rapidity with which the beetle infestations are
moving northward in the Black Hills – and are now impacting Spearfish
Mountain. By the time he left the
meeting, the council unanimously voted to allocate some $60,000 to help battle
the tiny beetles, which have wreaked havoc across the Black Hills. But it’ll take a lot more than
that. Coburn says the annual price
tag to win the battle is in the range of $10 million.
Last night (2/23/12) Coburn spent even more time with the
Belle Fourche Lions Club, providing a clear picture of just how the tiny little
beetle is ravaging the Hills, and offering some ideas about what more needs to
be done. He also enlisted the help
of club members in spreading the word about the importance of dealing with
beetle infestations.
“This affects everyone in the Black Hills,” said Coburn,
noting that the beetles not only will take their toll on tourism, but will
cause havoc in many ways – from increased wildfires and public safety issues to
loss wildlife habitat and reduced property values. That, of course, will affect tax revenues. The beetles also threaten watersheds
and drinking water.
“Right now, the Black Elk Wilderness Area around Harney Peak
is ‘ground zero’ for beetle infestations, with some 13,000 acres of timber
already 90 percent dead,” Coburn said.
And the critters are moving northward with the south and
southwest winds of summer. Their
movement is most dramatic during the period from late July to early September.
Contrary to what many people think, mountain pine beetles
not only attack pine trees, but spruce as well. It’s hard to imagine that the tiny beetle can cause so much
damage. But thousands will infest
the bark of a tree and result in its demise. The life cycle of a beetle is only one year.
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| E.M. Griffith witnessed pine beetle growth near O'Neill Pass back in 1901. |
Coburn provided an overview of pine beetle history in the
Black Hills, which reaches back to the late 1890’s, when one-time U.S. Forest
Service chief Henry Graves was working in parts of the northern Hills and
detected some 3,000 acres of dying timber in the O’Neill Pass area.
A mere four years later, E.M.Griffith – who was something of an apprentice to legendary American forester Gifford Pinchot – assessed the same area and found the growing infestation had reached 116 thousand acres!
A mere four years later, E.M.Griffith – who was something of an apprentice to legendary American forester Gifford Pinchot – assessed the same area and found the growing infestation had reached 116 thousand acres!
Earlier this week, the Black Hills Pioneer reported that Lawrence County has been authorized by the State of South Dakota to spend some $1.8 million in unspent Mine Severance Tax funds to fight pine beetles. And there's been a hodge-podge of public and private funds that have been accumulated and spent on the problem.
"I think it is important that the public understands that the State of South Dakota only authorized Lawrence County to spend the $1.8 million if they as a commission agree. The Commissioners will be meeting on Tuesday, February 28th to decide if and how much they intend to spend," Coburn later told us.
He further noted that there has been significant amounts of money -- around $400,000 -- that has been contributed by private donors, and that Lawrence County has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to this fight.
"I think it is important that the public understands that the State of South Dakota only authorized Lawrence County to spend the $1.8 million if they as a commission agree. The Commissioners will be meeting on Tuesday, February 28th to decide if and how much they intend to spend," Coburn later told us.
He further noted that there has been significant amounts of money -- around $400,000 -- that has been contributed by private donors, and that Lawrence County has contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to this fight.
But Coburn has noted that the funding to combat the mountain
pine beetle will have to be stepped up and believes that it will require a substantial
outlay of public funding in order to be successful. And that will require greater public awareness and support.
With that in mind, he invited Lions members to sign up for e-mail updates and to become engaged in helping solve the problem by encouraging support from public officials and helping to create greater public awareness about the breadth and depth of the problem.
With that in mind, he invited Lions members to sign up for e-mail updates and to become engaged in helping solve the problem by encouraging support from public officials and helping to create greater public awareness about the breadth and depth of the problem.
Belle Fourche Lions members were keenly interested in the
presentation and lingered longer than usual to ask questions and learn more
about one of the most serious plights facing not only the natural beauty of our
Black Hills Region – but the very economy of our region.
Well done Lions Swede and Rick!
