The effect of mountain pine beetle induced tree mortality on home values in the Colorado front range

jed jacob, cohen;

Throughout the past decade, the mountain pine beetle (MPB), a forest pest native to North America, has enjoyed a large increase in population and an expansion of its habitable zone. Certain species of pine trees throughout the Western United States are hosts for the MPB, where the beetle lays its eggs and feeds on the vascular tissue of the tree, often leading to tree mortality. Within a few weeks of a successful MPB attack, the pine tree has died and within a year the tree�s green leaves will turn red. This large-scale change in forest health across large swaths of the Western United States has likely
impacted the economies of nearby townships and, in particular, home values. This thesis explores this impact and estimates the losses to home values caused by deteriorating forest quality in two neighboring counties that have recently experienced a high level of MPB induced tree mortality: Larimer and Boulder Counties in Colorado.