An epidemic of pine beetles is killing trees across the region. Some say the epidemic results from global warming: More beetles are able to survive from year to year because several winters in a row have been warmer than usual.

The Biodiversity Conservation Alliance says the pine beetle epidemic, coupled with clear-cutting, have greatly disrupted wildlife habitat and that logging should be halted. But a timber industry spokesman, Tom Troxel, with the Intermountain Forest Association, says logging should be increased, not halted.

Troxel says logging beetle-killed trees would allow more room for new trees to grow. The Forest Service says it's reviewing the environmentalists' petition and will respond soon.