Grant will help UNR study control methods

July 27, 2007

 Washington, DC – U. S. Senator Harry Reid of Nevada announced a $400,000 grant that will go to develop new and effective tactics to control bark beetles.  The bark beetle has caused much devastation in western forests, including those in the Lake Tahoe basin.

“Western states are currently dealing with the problem of wildfires,” said Reid.  “These bark beetles really contribute to the problem, bug-killed trees add to the fuel load, exacerbating the fire cycle.  What these pests are essentially doing is turning trees into giant matches.  We need to find a way to deal with this infestation so that the beetles don’t detract from the work we’re doing to fight the current work to prevent future wildfires. This is very good news for Nevada.”

Reid recently arranged a bipartisan meeting with Jim Hughes, Acting Director of the Bureau of Land Management, Dirk Kempthorne, Secretary of the Interior, and ten Western senators.  During that meeting, the group brought attention to bark beetles and the problem they pose when it comes to wildfires.  Hughes acknowledged the seriousness of the issue.

Bark beetles are difficult to study because they spend the majority of their lives protected under bark.  University of Nevada Reno’s Gary Blomquist will conduct research to gain an understanding of how bark beetles use natural chemicals called pheromones to find trees to attack.