<p>Mountain pine beetle infestations cause the destruction of huge numbers of trees. To curb the massive losses due to these infestations, governments in the United States and Canada have supplied large amounts of money toward eradication efforts. Without these efforts or any future change, the death of <span class="taxon">Pinus</span> trees leads to increased carbon emissions. In addition, the destruction of <span class="taxon">Pinus</span> forests leads to an increase in wildfire fuel, which could be potentially harmful to humans. Especially significant are the forest fires which occurred in Yellowstone National Park in 1988 and were the result of mountain pine beetle damage to <span class="taxon">Pinus</span> trees. Deforestation due to mountain pine beetles can also negatively affect local timber industry.<span> ("Mountain pine beetle dynamics in lodgepole pine forests - Part I: Course of an infestation", 1980; Kurz et al., 2008; Lynch et al., 2006)</span></p>