One of my very favorite places to go camping is in North Park Colorado. It has been nearly 5 years since I have been up in that area. During that time the pine beetle has pretty much decimated the area. I had heard stories but what I saw for myself was shocking. Hard to believe a tiny bug could do so much damage. In some areas I would estimate the hillside to be 90% kill. It is clear to me that the forest will never be the same in my lifetime. Fire will come, succession will occur, and I will be forced to embrace something very different from the forest that I grew up with.
