Current Research

My current research is focused on understanding temperature response and adaptations of bark beetles and associated communities for increased understanding of population outbreaks in a changing climate. This research includes the role of host trees and the environment in population outbreak dynamics, and incorporating physiological information into  mechanistic models of bark beetle temperature response for managing forest ecosystems in a changing climate. I also research the role of bark beetles in post-fire environments.

Research Interests

My research interests are numerous. Among the highlights are biology, ecology, management of bark beetles, physiological aspects of bark beetle response to temperature, modeling climate change influences on bark beetle populations, and fire and bark beetle interactions.

Past Research

Temperature dependence of bark beetles; using pheromones to manage bark beetle populations; use of remote sensing for detecting bark beetle-caused tree mortality.

Why This Research is Important

Bark beetles have caused more tree mortality in western North America forest ecosystems over the past 20 years than wildfire. It is imperative to understand how rising temperature and decreasing precipitation will influence bark beetle-caused tree mortality in the future, including interactions with other disturbances.

Education

• Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, Ph.D. Entomology 1991
• University of Idaho, Moscow, M.S. Forestry and Entomology 1984
• Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, TX, B.S. Forestry and Biology 1981

Professional Experience

Featured Publications & Products

• Bentz, Barbara J.; Jonsson, Anna Maria; Schroeder, Martin ; Weed, Aaron ; Wilcke, Renate Anna Irma; Larsson, Karin . 2019. Ips typographus and Dendroctonus ponderosae models project thermal suitability for intra- and inter-continental establishment in a changing climate.
• Dowle, Eddy J.; Bracewell, Ryan R.; Pfrender, Michael E.; Mock, Karen E.; Bentz, Barbara J.; Ragland, Gregory J. 2017. Reproductive isolation and environmental adaptation shape the phylogeography of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosa).
• Bracewell, Ryan R.; Bentz, Barbara J.; Sullivan, Brian T.; Good, Jeffrey M. 2017. Rapid neo-sex chromosome evolution and incipient speciation in a major forest pest.
• Eidson, Erika L.; Mock, Karen E.; Bentz, Barbara J. 2018. Low offspring survival in mountain pine beetle infesting the resistant Great Basin bristlecone pine supports the preference-performance hypothesis.
• Bentz, Barbara J.; Hansen, E. Matthew. 2017. Evidence for a prepupal diapause in the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae, Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae).
• Bentz, Barbara J.; Duncan, Jacob P.; Powell, James A. 2016. Elevational shifts in thermal suitability for mountain pine beetle population growth in a changing climate.
• Bentz, Barbara J.; Regniere, Jacques; Fettig, Christopher J.; Hansen, E. Matthew; Hayes, Jane L.; Hicke, Jeffrey A.; Kelsey, Rick G.; Negron, Jose F.; Seybold, Steven J. 2010. Climate change and bark beetles of the western United States and Canada: Direct and indirect effects.
• Bentz, Barbara; Vandygriff, James; Jensen, Camille; Coleman, Tom; Maloney, Patricia; Smith, Sheri; Grady, Amanda; Schen-Langenheim, Greta. 2014. Mountain pine beetle voltinism and life history characteristics across latitudinal and elevational gradients in the western United States.
• Bentz, Barbara J.; Powell, James A. 2014. Mountain pine beetle seasonal timing and constraints to bivoltinism (A comment on Mitton and Ferrenberg, "Mountain Pine Beetle Develops an Unprecedented Summer Generation in Response to Climate Warming").
• Seybold, Steven J.; Bentz, Barbara J.; Fettig, Christopher J.; Lundquist, John E.; Progar, Robert A.; Gillette, Nancy E. 2018. Management of western North American bark beetles with semiochemicals.

Publications

• Hansen, Matt; Johnson, Morris; Bentz, Barbara; Vandygriff, Jim; Munson, A. Steven. 2019. Chapter 14: Impact of Bark Beetle Infestation on Fuel Loads and Fire Behavior in Old-Stage Southwestern Ponderosa Pine (Project INT-EM-F-12-02).
• McManis, Anne E.; Powell, James A.; Bentz, Barbara J. 2019. Developmental parameters of a southern mountain pine beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) population reveal potential source of latitudinal differences in generation time.
• McManis, Anne E.; Powell, James A.; Bentz, Barbara J. 2019. Modeling mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) oviposition.
• Loehman, Rachel A.; Bentz, Barbara J.; DeNitto, Gregg A.; Keane, Robert E.; Manning, Mary E.; Duncan, Jacob P.; Egan, Joel M.; Jackson, Marcus B.; Kegley, Sandra; Lockman, I. Blakey; Pearson, Dean E.; Powell, James A.; Shelly, Steve; Steed, Brytten E.; Zambino, Paul J. 2018. Effects of climate change on ecological disturbance in the Northern Rockies Region Chapter 8.
• Malesky, Danielle M.; Bentz, Barbara J.; Brown, Gary R.; Brunelle, Andrea R.; Buffington, John M.; Chappell, Linda M.; DeRose, R. Justin; Guyon, John C., II.; Jorgensen, Carl L.; Loehman, Rachel A.; Lowrey, Laura L.; Lynch, Ann M.; Matyjasik, Marek; McMillin, Joel D.; Mercado, Javier E.; Morris, Jesse L.; Negron, Jose F.; Padgett, Wayne G.; Progar, Robert A.; Randall, Carol B. 2018. Effects of climate change on ecological disturbances Chapter 8.
• Marini, Lorenzo; Okland, Bjorn; Jonsson, Anna Maria; Bentz, Barbara; Carroll, Allan; Forster, Beat; Gregoire, Jean-Claude; Hurling, Rainer; Nageleisen, Louis Michel; Netherer, Sigrid; Ravn, Hans Peter; Weed, Aaron; Schroeder, Martin. 2017. Climate drivers of bark beetle outbreak dynamics in Norway spruce forests.
• Schebeck, Martin; Hansen, E. Matthew; Schopf, Axel; Ragland, Gregory J.; Stauffer, Christian; Bentz, Barbara J. 2017. Diapause and overwintering of two spruce bark beetle species.
• Eidson, Erika L.; Mock, Karen E.; Bentz, Barbara J. 2017. Mountain pine beetle host selection behavior confirms high resistance in Great Basin bristlecone pine.
• Krivan, Vlastimil; Lewis, Mark; Bentz, Barbara J.; Bewick, Sharon; Lenhart, Suzanne M.; Liebhold, Andrew. 2016. A dynamical model for bark beetle outbreaks.
• Bentz, Barbara J.; Eidson, Erika L. 2016. Are high elevation pines equally vulnerable to climate change-induced mountain pine beetle attack.
• Bentz, Barbara; Vandygriff, Jim; Jensen, Camille; Coleman, Tom; Maloney, Patricia; Smith, Sheri; Grady, Amanda; Schen-Langenheim, Greta. 2016. Chapter 15: Monitoring Mountain Pine Beetle Life Cycle Timing and Phloem Temperatures at Multiple Elevations and Latitudes in California(Project WC-EM-09-02).
• Bentz, Barbara J.; Hood, Sharon A.; Hansen, Matt; Vandygriff, Jim; Mock, Karen E. 2016. Defense traits in the long-lived Great Basin bristlecone pine and resistance to the native herbivore mountain pine beetle.
• Ramsfield, T. D.; Bentz, Barbara; Faccoli, M.; Jactel, H.; Brockerhoff, E. G. 2016. Forest health in a changing world: Effects of globalization and climate change on forest insect and pathogen impacts.
• Kolb, Thomas E.; Fettig, Christopher J.; Bentz, Barbara J.; Stewart, Jane E.; Weed, Aaron S.; Hicke, Jeffrey A.; Ayres, Matthew P. 2016. Forest insect and fungal pathogen responses to drought Chapter 6.
• Lerch, Andrew P.; Pfammatter, Jesse A.; Bentz, Barbara J.; Raffa, Kenneth F. 2016. Mountain pine beetle dynamics and reproductive success in post-fire lodgepole and ponderosa pine forests in northeastern Utah.
• Kolb, Thomas E.; Fettig, Chris; Ayres, Matthew P.; Bentz, Barbara J.; Hicke, Jeffrey A.; Mathiasen, Robert; Stewart, Jane E.; Weed, Aaron S. 2016. Observed and anticipated impacts of drought on forest insects and diseases in the United States.
• Hansen, E. Matthew; Johnson, Morris C.; Bentz, Barbara J.; Vandygriff, James C.; Munson, A. Steven. 2015. Fuel loads and simulated fire behavior in "old-stage" beetle-infested ponderosa pine of the Colorado Plateau.
• Weed, Aaron S.; Bentz, Barbara J.; Ayres, Matthew P.; Holmes, Thomas P. 2015. Geographically variable response of Dendroctonus ponderosae to winter warming in the western United States.
• Addison, Audrey; Powell, James A.; Bentz, Barbara J.; Six, Diana L. 2015. Integrating models to investigate critical phenological overlaps in complex ecological interactions: The mountain pine beetle-fungus symbiosis.
• Vandygriff, J. C.; Hansen, E.; Bentz, Barbara; Allen, K. K.; Amman, G. D.; Rasmussen, L. A. 2015. Long-term efficacy of diameter-limit cutting to reduce mountain pine beetle-caused tree mortality in a lodgepole pine forest.
• Anderegg, William R. L.; Hicke, Jeffrey A.; Fisher, Rosie A.; Allen, Craig D.; Aukema, Juliann; Bentz, Barbara; Hood, Sharon; Lichstein, Jeremy W.; Macalady, Alison K.; McDowell, Nate; Pan, Yude; Raffa, Kenneth; Sala, Anna; Shaw, John D.; Stephenson, Nathan L.; Tague, Christina; Zeppel, Melanie. 2015. Tree mortality from drought, insects, and their interactions in a changing climate.
• Bentz, Barbara J.; Boone, Celia; Raffa, Kenneth F. 2015. Tree response and mountain pine beetle attack preference, reproduction, and emergence timing in mixed whitebark and lodgepole pines.
• Hahn, Beth; Saab, Vicki; Bentz, Barbara; Loehman, Rachel; Keane, Bob. 2014. Ecological consequences of the MPB epidemic for habitats and populations of wildlife Chapter 5.
• Jenkins, Michael J.; Runyon, Justin B.; Fettig, Christopher J.; Page, Wesley G.; Bentz, Barbara J. 2014. Interactions among the mountain pine beetle, fires, and fuels.
• Powell, James A.; Bentz, Barbara J. 2014. Phenology and density-dependent dispersal predict patterns of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) impact.
• Fettig, Christopher J.; Reid, Mary L.; Bentz, Barbara J.; Sevanto, Sanna; Spittlehouse, David L.; Wang, T. 2013. Changing climates, changing forests: A western North American perspective.
• Bracewell, Ryan R.; Pfrender, Michael E.; Mock, Karen E.; Bentz, Barbara J. 2013. Contrasting geographic patterns of genetic differentiation in body size and development time with reproductive isolation in Dendroctonus ponderosae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae).
• DeRose, R. Justin; Bentz, Barbara J.; Long, James N.; Shaw, John D. 2013. Effect of increasing temperatures on the distribution of spruce beetle in Engelmann spruce forests of the Interior West, USA.
• Addison, A. L.; Powell, J. A.; Six, D. L.; Moore, M.; Bentz, B. J. 2013. The role of temperature variability in stabilizing the mountain pine beetle-fungus mutualism.
• Crabb, Benjamin A.; Powell, James A.; Bentz, Barbara J. 2012. Development and assessment of 30-meter pine density maps for landscape-level modeling of mountain pine beetle dynamics.
• Regniere, Jacques; Powell, James; Bentz, Barbara; Nealis, Vincent. 2012. Effects of temperature on development, survival and reproduction of insects: Experimental design, data analysis and modeling.
• Davis, Ryan S.; Hood, Sharon; Bentz, Barbara J. 2012. Fire-injured ponderosa pine provide a pulsed resource for bark beetles.
• Bracewell, Ryan R.; Pfrender, Michael E.; Mock, Karen E.; Bentz, Barbara J. 2011. Cryptic postzygotic isolation in an eruptive species of bark beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae).
• Bentz, Barbara J.; Bracewell, Ryan B.; Mock, Karen E.; Pfrender, Michael E. 2011. Genetic architecture and phenotypic plasticity of thermally-regulated traits in an eruptive species, Dendroctonus ponderosae.
• Bentz, Barbara; Campbell, Elizabeth; Gibson, Ken; Kegley, Sandra; Logan, Jesse; Six, Diana. 2011. Mountain pine beetle in high-elevation five-needle white pine ecosystems.
• Hansen, E. Matthew; Bentz, Barbara J.; Powell, James A.; Gray, David R.; Vandygriff, James C. 2011. Prepupal diapause and instar IV developmental rates of the spruce beetle, Dendroctonus rufipennis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae).
• Raffa, Kenneth F.; Aukema, Brian; Bentz, Barbara J.; Carroll, Allan; Erbilgin, Nadir; Herms, Daniel A.; Hicke, Jeffrey A.; Hofstetter, Richard W.; Katovich, Steven; Lindgren, B. Staffan; Logan, Jesse; Mattson, William; Munson, A. Steven; Robison, Daniel J.; Six, Diana L.; Tobin, Patrick C.; Townsend, Philip A.; Wallin, Kimberly F. 2009. A literal use of "forest health" safeguards against misuse and misapplication.
• Bentz, Barbara; Logan, Jesse; MacMahon, Jim; Allen, Craig D.; Ayres, Matt; Berg, Ed; Carroll, Allan; Hansen, Matt; Hicke, Jeff; Joyce, Linda; Macfarlane, Wallace; Munson, Steve; Negron, Jose; Paine, Tim; Powell, Jim; Raffa, Ken; Regniere, Jacques; Reid, Mary; Romme, Bill; Seybold, Steven J.; Six, Diana; Tomback, Diana; Vandygriff, Jim; Veblen, Tom; White, Mike; Witcosky, Jeff; Wood, David. 2009. Bark beetle outbreaks in western North America: Causes and consequences.
• Lundquist, John E.; Bentz, Barbara J. 2009. Bark beetles in a changing climate.
• Powell, James A.; Bentz, Barbara J. 2009. Connecting phenological predictions with population growth rates for mountain pine beetle, an outbreak insect.
• Davis, C. S.; Mock, K. E.; Bentz, B. J.; Bromilow, S. M.; Bartell, N. V.; Murray, B. W.; Roe, A. D.; Cooke, J. E. K. 2009. Isolation and characterization of 16 microsatellite loci in the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae).
• Gibson, Ken; Kegley, Sandy; Bentz, Barbara. 2009. Mountain pine beetle.
• Bentz, Barbara J. 2008. Bark beetles in the genus Dendroctonus.
• Raffa, Kenneth F.; Aukema, Brian H.; Bentz, Barbara J.; Carroll, Allan L.; Hicke, Jeffrey A.; Turner, Monica G.; Romme, William H. 2008. Cross-scale drivers of natural disturbances prone to anthropogenic amplification: Dynamics of biome-wide bark beetle eruptions.
• Bentz, Barbara; Alston, Diane; Evans, Ted. 2008. Great Basin insect outbreaks.
• Brunelle, Andrea; Rehfeldt, Gerald E.; Bentz, Barbara; Munson, A. Steven. 2008. Holocene records of Dendroctonus bark beetles in high elevation pine forests of Idaho and Montana, USA.
• Bentz, Barbara. 2008. Mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae).
• Kaufmann, Merrill R.; Aplet, Gregory H.; Babler, Michael G.; Baker, William L.; Bentz, Barbara; Harrington, Michael; Hawkes, Brad C.; Huckaby, Laurie Stroh; Jenkins, Michael J.; Kashian, Daniel M.; Keane, Robert E.; Kulakowski, Dominik; McCaughey, Ward; McHugh, Charles; Negron, Jose; Popp, John; Romme, William H.; Shepperd, Wayne; Smith, Frederick W.; Sutherland, Elaine Kennedy; Tinker, Daniel; Veblen, Thomas T. 2008. The status of our scientific understanding of lodgepole pine and mountain pine beetles - a focus on forest ecology and fire behavior.
• Negron, Jose F.; Bentz, Barbara J.; Fettig, Christopher J.; Gillette, Nancy; Hansen, E. Matthew; Hayes, Jane L.; Kelsey, Rick G.; Lundquist, John E.; Lynch, Ann M.; Progar, Robert A.; Seybold, Steven J. 2008. US Forest Service bark beetle research in the western United States: Looking toward the future.
• Hood, Sharon; Bentz, Barbara; Gibson, Ken; Ryan, Kevin; DeNitto, Gregg. 2007. Assessing post-fire Douglas-fir mortality and Douglas-fir beetle attacks in the northern Rocky Mountains.
• Bentz, Barbara; Pfrender, Mike; Bracewell, Ryan; Mock, Karen. 2007. Genetic architecture of differences in fitness traits among geographically separated Dendroctonus ponderosae populations.
• Mock, K. E.; Bentz, B. J.; O'Neill, E. M.; Chong, J. P.; Orwin, J.; Pfrender, M. E. 2007. Landscape-scale genetic variation in a forest outbreak species, the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae).
• Regniere, Jacques; Bentz, Barbara. 2007. Modeling cold tolerance in the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae.
• Hood, Sharon; Bentz, Barbara. 2007. Predicting postfire Douglas-fir beetle attacks and tree mortality in the northern Rocky Mountains.
• Bentz, Barbara; Cognato, Anthony; Raffa, Kenneth, eds. 2007. Proceedings from the Third Workshop on Genetics of Bark Beetles and Associated Microorganisms.
• Six, D. L.; Bentz, B. J. 2007. Temperature determines symbiont abundance in a multipartite bark beetle-fungus ectosymbiosis.
• Bentz, Barbara J.; Schen-Langenheim, Greta. 2007. The mountain pine beetle and whitebark pine waltz: Has the music changed.
• Wulder, M. A.; White, J. C.; Bentz, B. J.; Ebata, T. 2006. Augmenting the existing survey hierarchy for mountain pine beetle red-attack damage with satellite remotely sensed data.
• Bentz, Barbara J.; Six, Diana L. 2006. Ergosterol content of fungi associated with Dendroctonus ponderosae and Dendroctonus rufipennis (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae).
• Wulder, Michael A; White, J. C.; Bentz, Barbara J; Alvarez, M. F.; Coops, N. C. 2006. Estimating the probability of mountain pine beetle red-attack damage.
• Hansen, E. Matthew; Bentz, Barbara J.; Munson, A. Steven; Vandygriff, James C.; Turner, David L. 2006. Evaluation of funnel traps for estimating tree mortality and associated population phase of spruce beetle in Utah.
• Bentz, Barbara J. 2006. Mountain pine beetle population sampling: inferences from Lindgren pheromone traps and tree emergence cages.
• Bentz, B. J.; Kegley, S.; Gibson, K.; Their, R. 2005. A test of high-dose verbenone for stand-level protection of lodgepole and whitebark pine from mountain pine beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) attacks.
• Wulder, M. A.; White, J. C.; Bentz, B. J. 2005. Detection and mapping of mountain pine beetle red attack: Matching information needs with appropriate remotely sensed data.
• Gilbert, Estella; Powell, James A.; Logan, Jesse A.; Bentz, Barbara J. 2004. Comparison of three models predicting developmental milestones given environmental and individual variation.
• Bentz, B. J.; Endreson, D. 2004. Evaluating satellite imagery for estimating mountain pine beetle-caused lodgepole pine mortality: Current status.
• Hansen, E. Matthew; Bentz, Barbara J. 2003. Comparison of reproductive capacity among univoltine, semivoltine, and re-emerged parent spruce beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae).
• Hood, Sharon M.; Bentz, Barbara; Ryan, Kevin C. 2003. Douglas-fir beetle attack and tree mortality following wildfire.
• Six, Diana L.; Bentz, Barbara J. 2003. Fungi associated with the North American spruce beetle, Dendroctonus rufipennis.
• Cutler, Richard; Brown, Leslie; Powell, James; Bentz, Barbara; Cutler, Adele. 2003. Identifying "redtops": Classification of satellite imagery for tracking mountain pine beetle progression through a pine forest.
• Bentz, Barbara J. 2000. Forest Insect and Disease Tally System (FINDIT) user manual.
• Chojnacky, David C.; Bentz, Barbara J.; Logan, Jesse A. 2000. Mountain pine beetle attack in ponderosa pine: Comparing methods for rating susceptibility.

Research Highlights

Highlight	Title	Year
RMRS-2014-116	Combined Effects of a Changing Climate Drive Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreaks An ideal combination of temperature and precipitation associated with a changing climate are responsible for recent mountai pine beetle populati ...	2014
RMRS-2016-22	Elevational Shifts in Thermal Suitability for Mountain Pine Beetle in a Changing Climate By the end of the century, climate change-driven optimal temperature suitability for mountain pine beetle population growth is predicted to be g ...	2016
RMRS-2017-214	Great Basin bristlecone pines are highly resistant to mountain pine beetles Mountain pine beetle has killed millions of pines in the past two decades. We discovered that when confined on a Great Basin bristlecone pine, a ...	2017
RMRS-2013-120	Mountain Pine Beetle's Ability to Cope with a Changing Climate Depends on Genetics Recent field studies suggest that different selection pressures on northern and southern populations allow mountain pine beetle to maintain a si ...	2013
RMRS-2016-216	World’s Oldest Tree Species Resistant to Mountain Pine Beetle Mountain pine beetle (MPB) is the most significant mortality agent of pines throughout western North America, and climate-driven range expansion ...	2016