ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (July 1, 2012)—As firefighters toil on steep mountainsides to put out more than a dozen new wildfires in what has already become a vicious summer of destruction in the West, scientists are using computer models to learn more about what makes the fires go.

Experts agree that dry conditions and strong winds are driving this year's super fires, but it gets more complicated when researchers add to their formulas the devastation caused during the last 15 years by bark beetles.

The tiny insects have devoured more than 40 million acres of the nation's forests.

Some research suggests fire burns hotter and more quickly in beetle-affected areas, while other research indicates that other conditions complicate how fire relates to the beetle problem.