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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Bark beetles feasting on Utah trees are creating a double problem -- they're killing off portions of Utah's forests and creating fuel for wildfires that contribute to global warming.
Between 1990 and 2005, two types of wood-boring beetles ate their way through more than 466,000 acres of Utah forests.
Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands forest-health program manager Colleen Keyes, says the Dixie National Forest has been significantly impacted by the tiny predators. She says beetles have wiped out hundreds of thousands of acres -- nearly all the forest's spruce.
In some regions, the increased number of beetles are considered "outbreak proportions" that could negatively impact recreation, wildlife and watersheds.
------ Information from: Deseret News
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
