Abstract
The mountain pine beetle (MPB) destroys millions of coniferous trees annually throughout Western US forests. Coniferous forests are important air pollutant sinks, removing pollutants from the air such as PM2.5 (particulate matter < 2.5 μm in diameter), O3 (ozone), SO2 (sulfur dioxide), NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), and CO (carbon monoxide). In this paper, US Forest Service data on MPB tree mortality in the Western US is combined with a forest air pollution model (i-Tree Eco) and standard health impact functions to assess the human mortality and morbidity impacts of MPB-induced tree mortality. Modeling results suggest considerable spatial and temporal heterogeneity of impacts across the Western US. On average, MPB is associated with 10.0–15.7 additional deaths, 6.5–40.4 additional emergency room (ER) visits, and 2.2–10.5 additional hospital admissions per year over 2005–2011 due to lost PM2.5 sinks. For every 100 trees killed by MPB, the average PM2.5 mortality health costs are $418 (2019$). Impacts on other criteria pollutants are also estimated. Several sensitivity checks are performed on model inputs. These results have important policy implications for MPB management and on our understanding of the complex couplings between forest pests, forest health, and human health.
Highlights
The mountain pine beetle (MPB), Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, is a destructive insect pest in conifer forests throughout the Western United States (US) and British Columbia, Canada [1]
Results from i-Tree are technically estimates of the counterfactual
These trees are no longer alive and the estimates obtained from i-Tree are used in what follows as representing the lost pollution removal due to MPB in a given county-year, i.e., the pollution removal that would have occurred in a county-year if MPB tree mortality had not happened and had not removed these pollutant sinks
Summary
The mountain pine beetle (MPB), Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, is a destructive insect pest in conifer forests throughout the Western United States (US) and British Columbia, Canada [1]. Though native to the region, MPB outbreaks have been exacerbated since the. The US Forest Service estimates that MPB has affected >55 million acres of forest, or approximately 20% of all Western conifer forests by area since 1990, primarily impacting lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon) and ponderosa pine Rusty-colored conifer trees caused by MPB reduce the ecosystem services provided by forests, with economic impacts on recreation [5], property values [6], landscape aesthetics [7], and subjective well-being [8], in addition to direct market impacts on the forestry and logging industry [9]. Rosenberger et al [5] found that moderate to severe MPB outbreaks can cause recreation losses totaling $5–$59 million in Rocky
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