Old Trees May Soon Meet Their Match

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/28/science/28pines.html?pagewanted=1&ref=science

Bristlecone pine trees have become the oldest trees on the planet.  They are found high up in the mountains of North America.  The oldest living bristlecone is known to be over 4,800 years old.  But unfortunatly these old trees may begin to die by two different factors.  The first is called white pine blister rust which came to North America from Asia.  The second is a pine bark beetle which the population of this beetle is increasing in size due to the warming in the climate.  It took a long time for the blister rust to reach the bristlecone trees and it will take a lot more time for the fungus to kill a large amount of the trees.  Blister rust is spread through the air so it is almost impossible for scientists to try and stop it.  But there are many ecologists trying to find trees that are resistant to the fungus.  As for the pine bark beetle, they only kill the larger trees but those are the trees that produce the seeds.  So since you have both of these factors affecting the trees at once there is a good possibilty that these trees will be put on the endangered list.