Colo. getting $30 million for bark-beetle epidemic

Regional News

DENVER (AP) _ U.S. Forest Service officials in Colorado are getting $30 million to deal with the aftermath of the bark-beetle epidemic that have killed about 3.6 million pine trees in the state and southern Wyoming. U.S. Democratic Sens. Mark Udall and Michael Bennet said Monday the funds are a sign federal officials recognize how severe the bark-beetle problem has become since the infestation started more than a decade ago. Udall calls it ``one of the West's biggest natural disasters.'' The funding Colorado is getting is part of $40 million that federal officials have allocated to deal with the infestation. Wyoming, South Dakota, Kansas and Nebraska are getting $10 million. Udall says he wants the money to address wildfire threats, erosion on waterways, and safety risks associated with falling trees.