This false-color image shows a section of pine forest in the Black Hills of South Dakota after an epidemic of mountain pine beetles. Cold winters normally kill beetle eggs and keep the population down, but recent winters have been warmer than usual, so the number of beetles has risen dramatically. The trees on which they prey were weakened by prolonged dry conditions in the early 2000s, increasing their vulnerability. Patches of dead trees appear reddish in the 2018 image. The reddish patch on the left of the image is a burn scar from the Jasper Fire. September 8, 2018.