In July of 2019, I conducted an independent research project on the impacts that bark beetles have had upon the Intermountain West with funding from the Buck Lab for Climate and the Environment. Below are snippets from this month-long road trip, as well as my full 32 page report which includes interviews, woodcuts and stories.
The High Uintas Wilderness in northern Utah encompasses some of the greatest alpine forests in the Intermountain West. However, since around the year 2000, waves of bark beetles have targeted the lodgepole pine in these forests. In some valleys there is 90% mortality.
I wandered into this range on the tails of a wet spring, and the vibrant green ground cover made the grey forest unbelievable apparent. Amidst wildflowers, porcupines, and snow fields, a huge disturbance has quietly taken place. The tiny script that these beetles leave under the bark of the lodgepole pine tells a complicated story that spreads across western North America. With this project, I attempted to follow the story of these beetles, by means both scientific and artistic. I interviewed scientists and foresters who work in these ecosystems. At the same time, I carved woodblocks with a chisel, in a way emulating the actions of hungry beetles, to explore the physical patterns that beetles are leaving.
The Report
