10.21973/N30959Josh BrandtJohn LauxLiber McKeeBenjamin WeaverUniversity of California Natural Reserve System2019Textconiferous forestbeetle infestationdroughtmortalitydemographicKathleen WongKathleenWongUniversity of California Natural Reserve SystemSummer 2019pdfIn the age of fire suppression, a major killer of coniferous forests has shifted from wildfires to beetle infestations and drought stress. We examined a conifer forest in the Eastern Sierra Nevada to obtain demographic data on the area and to determine the factors affecting conifer mortality. We found a positive relationship between the number of boreholes and mortality across tree species. Bark beetle tree mortality in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) was related to density, diameter, slope and aspect of the site. In white fir (Abies concolor), the only correlation was between borehole abundance and percent mortality. The greatest mortality in lodgepole pine occurred in intermediate stand densities and diameters, indicating that there is a critical point where forests are most vulnerable to beetle induced mortality. Management techniques could focus on specific stand densities and topography to reduce the risk of mortality and limit beetle infestation from spreading.CEC Research Volume 3, Issue 2Valentine Camp-118.9955555637.62972222