Fire wounds and beetle scars.

Abstract

In the Rocky Mountains of S-central Oregon fire is intimately linked to the stand dynamics of seral, serotinous lodgepole pine Pinus contorta var. murrayana, but in the nonserotinous, climax lodgepole pine stands, fires are uncommon and their role unclear. Sparsely distributed trees and understory vegetation result in low stand productivity and limited fuel accumulation. Many trees are fungal-infected and selectively killed by mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae. Scars similar in appearance to fire scars could be caused by mountain pine beetles. -from Authors