![]() Save the butterflies Posts: 23536 Gender: ![]() | https://e360.yale.edu/features/small-pests-big-problems-the-global-spread-of-bar... ![]() AGW, as we have seen from the Global Temperature Records Summary from NOAA, makes winters milder. So winter temperatures that once would have killed huge numbers of the beetles do not happen as often anymore. So more often large numbers of the beetles are alive when spring arrives and quickly eat the bark of large numbers of pine or spruce (depending on species of beetles) killing the trees. Same thing is happening in Europe and to other species of conifers—read the reference I cited! So what, you ask? Tough on a few lumber mills? Acres of dead pine and spruce trees means no habitat for critters! No nesting spaces for birds etc. This can throw the ecology further out of kilter, affecting more animals and animal populations (e.g. less birds might see more insect pest species proliferate.) Acres of dead, dry trees are more susceptible to wildfires, making the fires fiercer! Erosion will increase, etc. AGW is very relevant to critters. |
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