STEAMBOAT LAKE STATE PARK, COLORADO // As sunset softens the vast Colorado sky into warm shades of pink and blue, the sound of chainsaws jars the stillness of this remote and rugged wilderness.
A forest service team works quickly, felling dozens of dead or dying lodgepole pines, the majestic trees that have towered over this region for generations.
They are locked in a race against the mountain bark beetle, a tiny insect the size of a rice kernel, which is devouring unprecedented swathes of woodland across the US and Canadian north-west.
"It has reached a level where we cannot do anything to stop the bark beetle," said Clint Kyhl, a bark beetle incident commander for the US Forest Service. "So now our main focus is mitigating the impact of all these dead and dying trees."
The indigenous beetle dines on mature lodgepole pines, burrowing into their trunks and laying eggs.
In the current epidemic, the insects have already munched through an incredible 8.2 million hectares, a line stretching all the way from New Mexico to British Columbia, an area almost the size of entire UAE.
And by the time their feast ends, it is expected they will have felled 90 per cent of the region's mature lodgepole pines, more than doubling the zone affected.
Scientists call it the worst bark beetle epidemic in recorded history, blaming a convergence of favourable conditions for the bug.
Rising temperatures allowed their larvae to survive the winters, causing a population explosion.
Prolonged drought dehydrated the lodgepoles, weakening their ability to produce sap and "pitch out" the bugs.
And because of mankind's success at mitigating wildfires over the past century, the forests were unusually mature.
"It came together to form the perfect storm," said Ingrid Aguayo, an entomologist at Colorado State University. "Everything is ripe now for the bark beetle."
It is stunning to see how the beetle epidemic is transforming the landscape. Dying or dead trees, their needles bright red, vastly outnumber younger, green lodgepoles across vast stretches of territory.
A chief concern is the potential for a massive forest fire, since the highly flammable dry needles could quickly turn into flying matchsticks. That is why forest rangers are busily chopping down trees - or at least thinning out their population - across the affected area.
"This has been our number one priority," said Mr Kyhl, of the Forest Service.
But dry needles should drop off within one season, greatly reducing any fire hazard. The second worry - one that will affect the region for as long as 15 years - is the risk of falling trees.
The lodgepole has shallow roots, meaning it falls over after it dies. And when millions of trees eventually come crashing down, they will smash into homes and other buildings, cut power lines and block roads, campgrounds and nature trails.
Forest rangers worry that falling trees could kill people. They closed 32 campgrounds in Colorado alone last summer to cut down trees at risk of toppling over.
Another fear, according to Mr Kyhl, is disruption to the national electrical supply if lodgepoles drop on major transmission lines connecting the western power grid.
"Falling tree hazard is what keeps us awake at night," said Mary Ann Chambers, a spokeswoman for the US Forest Service in Colorado.
There could be other problems, including erosion and increased sedimentation in the region's water supply, much of which comes from mountain sources.
In two decades, there be will yet another headache to contend with: lots of dead trees lying on the ground. "It will be hard to fight fire with huge trees lying all over the place," Ms Chambers said. "You can't get firefighters where they need to go."
In what may become the silver lining in a very large cloud, some local businesses are trying to salvage and recycle the fallen trees.
Greenway LLC, a building firm in Granby, Colorado, is using fallen lodgepole timber to make wood flooring and furniture.
And Confluence Energy, in nearby Kremmling, is making wood pellets for use in heating stoves.
The good news is that the forest will eventually grow back, and some scientists speculate that occasional beetle epidemics - the last one was in the 1970s - may just be nature's way of rejuvenating an ageing forest.
"It is just like our population," Ms Aguayo said. "If we have only old people, it is not healthy for society."
As vast areas of open space are cleared, some larger wildlife, including elk and deer, could emerge with stronger populations, along with other tree species like the Aspen.
Ms Chambers highlighted another positive outcome: "There will also be new views in the areas we have opened up.
"It will look different, but the mountains are still there and so are many other beautiful things."
gpeters@thenational.ae
Hili 2: Unesco World Heritage site
The site is part of the Hili archaeological park in Al Ain. Excavations there have proved the existence of the earliest known agricultural communities in modern-day UAE. Some date to the Bronze Age but Hili 2 is an Iron Age site. The Iron Age witnessed the development of the falaj, a network of channels that funnelled water from natural springs in the area. Wells allowed settlements to be established, but falaj meant they could grow and thrive. Unesco, the UN's cultural body, awarded Al Ain's sites - including Hili 2 - world heritage status in 2011. Now the most recent dig at the site has revealed even more about the skilled people that lived and worked there.
Villains
Queens of the Stone Age
Matador
The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
Europe’s rearming plan
- Suspend strict budget rules to allow member countries to step up defence spending
- Create new "instrument" providing €150 billion of loans to member countries for defence investment
- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
- Engage the bloc's European Investment Bank to drop limits on lending to defence firms
- Create a savings and investments union to help companies access capital
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The%20specs
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Scoreline
Liverpool 3
Mane (7'), Salah (69'), Firmino (90')
Bournemouth 0
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Brief scores:
England: 290 & 346
Sri Lanka: 336 & 243
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
The Africa Institute 101
Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate
The biog
Name: Fareed Lafta
Age: 40
From: Baghdad, Iraq
Mission: Promote world peace
Favourite poet: Al Mutanabbi
Role models: His parents
Messi at the Copa America
2007 – lost 3-0 to Brazil in the final
2011 – lost to Uruguay on penalties in the quarter-finals
2015 – lost to Chile on penalties in the final
2016 – lost to Chile on penalties in the final
Points Classification
1. Marcel Kittel (Germany / Quick-Step) 63
2. Arnaud Demare (France / FDJ) 38
3. Andre Greipel (Germany / Lotto) 25
4. Sonny Colbrelli (Italy / Bahrain) 24
5. Mark Cavendish (Britain / Dimension Data) 22
6. Taylor Phinney (U.S. / Cannondale) 21
7. Geraint Thomas (Britain / Team Sky) 20
8. Thomas Boudat (France / Direct Energie) 20
9. Stefan Kueng (Switzerland / BMC Racing) 17
10. Michael Matthews (Australia / Sunweb) 17
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League final:
Who: Real Madrid v Liverpool
Where: NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev, Ukraine
When: Saturday, May 26, 10.45pm (UAE)
TV: Match on BeIN Sports
