Dr. Susan Prichard and Pine Beetles

In this video, scientist Dr. Susan Prichard discusses the impact of pine bark beetles on western forests. She explains how climate change, specifically rising temperatures, is exacerbating the problem.

Go To:

https://vimeo.com/6519017

Climate Central

Notes From Our Reviewers

The CLEAN collection is hand-picked and rigorously reviewed for scientific accuracy and classroom effectiveness. Read what our review team had to say about this resource below or learn more about how CLEAN reviews teaching materials

Teaching Tips

Provides a great introduction to the complex relationships among climate, trees, bark beetles, and wildfires.

About the Science

With mild winters, early springs and longer summers, bark beetles have more opportunities to burrow into trees and eventually kill them. Drought also increases stress on trees and makes them more susceptible to bark beetles.

Comment from expert scientist: Video provides a good, basic overview of mountain pine beetle ecology and fire ecology in the inland US West. Provides a good mechanistic link between climate change and these disturbances, as well as information related to the actual mechanism of the disturbance as well.

About the Pedagogy

There is no background material provided with this video.

Although this video focuses on the bark beetle problem in Washington state, the topic is applicable throughout the Western US.

Technical Details

This resource is available on vimeo - a website that some schools block access to.