MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL — For decades, the mountain pine beetle has caused an unprecedented amount of forest mortality in western North America, tearing through pine stands from the Pacific Coast all the way to the Black Hills of South Dakota. Now, researchers at the Minnesota Invasive Terrestrial Plants and Pests Center (MITPPC) are preparing for the impending arrival of one of the top threats to Minnesota’s trees. Brian Aukema, Ph.D., a professor in the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences and a researcher at MITPPC, answers questions about the species and why they pose a threat to Minnesota pine forests. …Do researchers expect the mountain pine beetle to arrive in Minnesota? …What are researchers working on currently? …How do you hope this research will better prepare the state for the impending arrival of the species?