Colorado forests now emit more carbon than absorbed due to insect damage and disease; future reports…
Engelmann spruce trees killed by the spruce beetle in Colorado’s Rio Grande National Forest. Insects and disease were the main culprit causing Colorado’s forests to become a carbon source in recent years. Photo by Katie Nigro Colorado’s forests store a massive amount of carbon, but dying trees – mostly due to insects and disease – have caused the state’s forests to emit more carbon than they absorbed in recent years, according to a Colorado State Forest Service report. Trees consume…