Pine Borers and Elk

[SDS-GEN]

Does anyone know how the pine borer infestation in the Arapaho Natl. Forest will effect the elk in that area?  I hunted the area this year and most of the trees are dead but still have their needles.  What will the elk do once the needles have fallen and the mountains are bare?  Will they adapt or move out?  I plan on hunting the same area this year and kind of want to know what to expect.

[B2crawler]

Here's my GUESS:  After the Haymen fire and all the pine trees were dead grass has grown like crazy.  No  pine needles to block out sunlight so it reaches the ground.   Maybe the same will happen where the Pine Beatles kill off the trees.   
In the area I hunt around Gunnison the DOW is having to feed the deer and elk to keep them from starving to death because they have gotten 90" of snow this winter.  I wonder how many will actually make it till spring.

[BeanMan]

In the long run it will be a benefit to elk and deer.  The pure stands of Lodgepole provide good cover but very little in the way of forage.  Grasses and forbs will fill in the empty spots.  North of Steamboat Springs it looks like the mountain pine beetle may kill up to 80% of trees over 8 inches in diameter.  My Wife and I spent our last Anniversary camped up by Hahn's Peak.  It was right during the time when the beetles were chewing their way out of the tree's.  The noise was audible form several feet away and sounded like a small creek.  We checked out a bunch of areas that had been logged anywhere from 5 to 20 years ago and they were the spots that had good feed and lots of elk sign.  It will be different to be sure but I think it will be a good thing.

Beanman