An experiment tests how holes from tree-killing beetles affect carbon emissions when wood burns
Shudong Zhang et al. 2025
Beetle attacks on dead wood could boost the amount of carbon released during wildfires.
“The beetles do make a difference,” says Hans Cornelissen at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the Netherlands.
Researchers already knew that, by killing trees, insect infestations in forests can alter the risk of wildfires. Many species of beetles and other insects also eat downed trees on the forest floor, leaving tracks and holes in…