MNN - Mother Nature Network

As I understand it, in Colorado's Rocky Mountain Range the natural cycle is being disrupted by the prevention of wild fires. Here's how I understand the cycle is supposed to operate: Pines exist. Beetles attack pines. Wild fires wipe out many pines, killing beetles and most importantly, beetle larva. Aspens move in where pines once existed. In time, pines gradually reclaim the area because a pine tree's needles break down to create a soil too acidic for aspens to prosper. Pines exist. Beetles attack