Ecosystems change when disturbances like emerald ash borers come to town. Take a look at ‘After the Trees Disappear – Ash Forests After Emerald Ash Borers Destroy Them’ by the New York Times for an example of how large disturbances alter forests. The emerald ash borer will primarily affect the urban forest in Colorado, but other disturbances (mountain pine beetle, catastrophic fire, etc.) in large swaths of our mountain forests have already had the kind ecosystem altering effects discussed in the article.
