but in the late 1880's, european settlers disrupted this balance by burning the forest montage to the ground in search of gold, creating a vast blanket of new pine stands whose uniformity was later enhanced by fire suppression and herbicide spraying that ensured that aspens weren't interfering with profits. as these pine trees turned 100 and the climate warmed, the beetle populations exploded and the landscape ran red like blood flowing through water.

suzanne simard  finding the mother tree