Bark Beetle or Fire: is it one or both?

Bark beetles and fire, does one effect the other or are they two impacts occurring simultaneously as a result of precipitation pattern changes and climate change. It is thought that this can work two ways. One theory is that trees are weakened by fire which changes the volatile emissions of conifers (for an example). This process then increases the trees susceptibility to bark beetles.

In contrast to this it is thought that the bark beetle can over take trees, creating pheromones that influence more bark beetles which change the forests and transform the fuels in the trees. Both of these outbreaks are occurring with climate change, with the increased temperatures, and the altered patterns of precipitation.

Realistically, a tree or forest impacted by warmer temperatures and less water are prime candidates for secondary impacts. And perhaps the combination of the two and the increased impacts over the landscape increase the scale of the fire. The fuel potential is in fact increased in a combination of multiple impacts and climate change.