HELENA – The pesticide carbaryl will be sprayed in some of western Montana’s national forests to fight the beetle that has killed vast swaths of pine trees, turning them a reddish color.
Gregg DeNitto of the Forest Service’s regional office in Missoula says aerial surveys last year indicated the mountain pine beetle had infested about 1.8 million acres in Montana.
Officials with the Helena National Forest say that weather permitting, trees in designated campgrounds and at trailheads will be sprayed with carbaryl beginning early next week. DeNitto says the insecticide also will be used in the Beaverhead-Deerlodge, the Lewis and Clark and the Gallatin national forests.
Carbaryl is sold under the brand name Sevin and is commonly used in residential landscaping and gardening.