Forest Service Limits Attendance for Beetle Crisis Briefing

The U.S. Forest Service plans to hold a briefing on September 8 in Catron County to address a catastrophic piñon tree mortality event caused by an Ips beetle crisis. The agency has limited public attendance to twenty people and will send only one representative to the session.

Local resident Erik Hawkes criticized the agency's restrictive approach, calling it an "extraordinary decision, given the scale of the disaster we are living through." In a letter to the editor, Hawkes demanded transparency and submitted six categories of questions for the agency to answer during the briefing.

These inquiries focus on beetle forecasting, pesticide treatment guidance, and mortality mapping. Hawkes also requested information regarding workforce mobilization for fuel removal, the activation of federal emergency authorities, and the resulting increase in wildfire risks.