The Southern Pine Beetle, an extremely destructive beetle that kills trees and forests, has been found for the first time in Albany according to the Times Union.  The beetle was trapped in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve near Rapp Road, and the Times Union reports that this is the farthest North the beetle has been found.  No infected trees have yet been found, but these beetles are a huge cause for concern.

One beetle may not seem like a big deal, but where there's one there are bound to be more.  And beetles, as tiny as they are, can cause a huge amount of destruction.  I'm going to use Colorado as an example, even though its not local, because I grew up going out to Colorado each year for ski races as a high school and college athlete.  Each year, I'd go out for ski races.  And each year, I'd see more and more trees dying off, to the point where the state had to start doing controlled forest fires and burns to try and manage the devastation.  Literally, entire mountain faces were wiped of trees.  All from a bug.  The Times Union reports that the Southern Pine Beetle is being called a significant threat to our pine forests in New York, so here's to hoping that the situation can be managed before it spreads or worsens.

 

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