This part of British Columbia has been under attack from the Pine Mountain Beetle. It's affected large portions of the forests around here. You may have to blow up this photo to see the effects. (just click on the picture.)
The beetle attacks and kills the trees. Normally a cold winter will end the infestation, but the winters have been warm lately so the outbreak has spread.
As part of the forestry services efforts to control the spread of the disease they have started harvesting the infected trees. One of the interesting side effects of the disease is that the wood ends up with a bluish tint. The resin the trees produce interact with a fungi the beetle carries, causing the discoloration.
The next time you're in a lumberyard look for "denim wood". That is the wood that is harvested from these infected trees.
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Maybe there is global warming. To bad you have to be cold to kill the beetles. With that kind of heat, the mosquitoes should just about be gone.
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