How do ski resorts get more rideable terrain when most of their mountains are covered in trees? They can’t go in and clear cut it just yet, but with a little help from a tree killer known as the Spruce Beetle they can open up new runs no problem.
For example, at Monarch Mountain in Colorado they’ve just removed “thousands of trees” from their mountain that have been killed by the beetles according to a story in the Pueblo Chieftain and they couldn’t be happier about it. Who needs trees?
“It is kind of cool because as we’ve gotten into it and removed the dead trees we have opened up a lot more terrain, and that’s an opportunity for people to ski terrain they could not get to before. I think our guests will be pleasantly surprised,” said Randy Stroud, Monarch’s general manager.
Many of the trees are still good enough to be used for lumber, so that’s a plus, too. For the rest of the story, including the part about how clearing the trees is helping to eradicate the spruce beetle problem, and how school kids a learning about ecology through the tree clearing, follow the jump.
[Link: Pueblo Chieftain]
