New research has concluded that mountain pine beetle outbreaks do not harm nearby watersheds, as was previously thought. The research from the University of Colorado Boulder and published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicates that the smaller trees left behind after a beetle infestation increase their uptake of nitrates, a pollutant that usually increases after a disturbance. These results indicate that harvesting practices that mimic this pattern would minimize the impact on watersheds, as well.
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