Rocky Mountain Forests at Risk

The Rocky Mountain forests are facing a "triple assault" of tree-killing insects, wildfires, and heat and drought, all driven by human-caused global warming. Bark beetle outbreaks killed trees on 46 million acres between 2000 and 2012, while large wildfires increased by 73 percent from 1984 to 2011. Iconic species like whitebark pines, aspens, and piñon pines are in catastrophic decline, with projections suggesting a 60 percent loss in suitable area for aspens by 2060 under medium-high emissions scenarios. The report argues that without reducing heat-trapping emissions and managing for resilience, these forests may be irrevocably degraded.

• Climate change is the primary driver of a "triple assault" on Rocky Mountain forests consisting of tree-killing insects, wildfires, and heat and dryness, which puts these forests at greater risk than at any other time in U.S. history.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2014). Rocky Mountain Forests at Risk. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2014/09/Rocky-Mountain-Forests-at-Risk-Executive-Summary.pdf

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Rocky Mountain Forests at Risk. 2014. https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2014/09/Rocky-Mountain-Forests-at-Risk-Executive-Summary.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Rocky Mountain Forests at Risk |date=September 2014 |url=https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2014/09/Rocky-Mountain-Forests-at-Risk-Executive-Summary.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2014rocky, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Rocky Mountain Forests at Risk}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2014}, month = sep, url = {https://www.ucs.org/sites/default/files/attach/2014/09/Rocky-Mountain-Forests-at-Risk-Executive-Summary.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }