Progress in forest pest control. A documentary report of 1961 accomplishments under the Forest pest control act on the National Forests of Nevada, southern Idaho, Utah, and western Wyoming

Historic, Archive Document

Do not assume content reflects current
scientific knowledge, policies, or practices.

1

Reserve

A423

7761

PROGRESS IN ^

FOREST PEST COKTROL t «

U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICUlTURe
NATIONAL AGRICULTURAL LIBRARY

JUL 1 7 1963

A documentary report of 1961 accomplishments under the Forest
Pest Control Act on the National Forests of Nevada, southern
Idaho, Utah, and western Wyoming.

Bsetplit#

U.63)

NATIONAL

A

G

R

I

C

U

L

T

U

R

A

L

The Forest Service obje(
eases are simply stated
which threaten the fores

LIBEARY A423
26115 ’ F767

boying insects and dis-
iny of these organisms
[erable levels damage

Reserve

and loss caused by fore;

Pest control is a major concern. It extends its activities through all the
seasons, to all land ownerships — federal, state, and private, and onto the most
rugged forest terrain. It exacts painstaking effort under the most trying of
conditions. It requires a close union of the scientist and land manager, and
demands close cooperative working relationships. But it is a gratifying task
because the resources saved and protected are indispensable to our way of life.

Through experience and advanced knowledge, the complex job of forest pest con-
trol is made safer, more efficient, and less costly. The result accrues as an
improvement to our economy, extending protection over our wealth of renewable
forest resources plus the less measurable esthetic and recreational values in-
herent in forest lands.

FLOYD IVERSON

Regional Forester
Intermountain Region
^U. S. Forest Service, -p

26115

THE COORDINATION OF PEST CONTROL WITH
MULTIPLE USE

An important provision of the Multiple-Use Act of June 12, 1960, is for the

. , harmonious and coordinated management of the various resources, each with
the other, without impairment of the productivity of the land ..."

Compared with the destructiveness of other factors including fire, forest in-
sects and diseases account for 88 percent of the growing stock loss and 90 per-
cent of the sawtimber lost each year. Together the pests rack up, nationwide,
an annual toll estimated at 1,770 million cubic feet of growing stock and 7,280
million board feet of sawtimber. These losses are sustained both in outright
kill of the trees and in the impact which destructive organisms have on normal
growth rates. Thus, productivity of the timber-growing lands is seriously im-
paired by the ravages of forest pests.

In addition to cutting heavily into timber volumes and growth potential, such
losses impede coordinated management of the associated resources of the forest
land, including wildlife, recreation, and forage. This is true because insect
and disease losses impair the esthetic qualities of the forest, and because of
the effect such depredations have on recreational values, cover for wildlife,
the hazards created by dead trees, the extra costs of removing down trees from
roads, trails, and public areas, and the myriad problems wrought by changes in
the forest cover. Thus, the destructive potential of forest pests is under con-
stant consideration by forest managers and control becomes an essential concern
in multiple-use land management activities.

I

CONTROL BY LOGGING

Logging is the preferred method of
bark beetle control but is, of course,
limited to timber stands which can be
logged economically, and to areas
which are or can be made accessible
to logging vehicles at reasonable
costs. By this process the infested
trees are removed from the woods to
the sawmill and converted to timber
before the beetles can emerge and in-
fest growing trees.

On the Bridger, Dixie, and Wasatch
National Forests 23,000 infested
trees were logged to control spruce
beetle. Black Hills beetle and moun-
tain pine beetle, respectively.

Salvaging insect-'
infested trees,
and converting
them to usable
products.

II

CONTROL BY LOGGING TRAP TREES

A modified version of control by logging, this method is employed in areas where
the infested trees cannot be completely logged and removed before beetle emer-
gence. Sufficient green trees are cut to absorb the new attacks. This concen-
trates the beetles in the down trees which can then be removed during the next
seasonal logging operation.

During the year 270 infested Engelmann spruce trees were treated by this method
on the Manti-LaSal National Forest.

Ill

CONTROL BY SLASH. PILE, AND BURN

Frequently the slashings and log ends from logging operations harbor bark beetles
or provide host material which can contribute to infestation buildup. Such ma-
terial must be piled and burned to complete suppression through logging. About
280 acres were treated in this manner on a spruce logging area, Uinta National
Forest, and 77 acres on the Bridger National Forest. Control is completed on
some Douglas-fir logging areas the same way.

IV

CONTROL BY STANDING - BURNING

Many trees infested by bark beetles are not in a situation which permits logging.
Some infested stands are too limited to be economically logged, or too far from
roads. This relatively cheap method of treating may be used early in the spring
before fire hazards exist. However, as the forest dries out other methods of
control are employed. During the control season 8,500 trees were treated on the
Cache and Wasatch National Forests using this method.

V

CONTROL BY FELLING AND BURNING

This control method is used during the cold months of the year especially for

infested trees inaccessible to logging,
burning, felling and burning is limited
ent. A portion of the Wasatch National
trees treated in this manner in 1961.

However, as in control by standing-
to months when fire hazard is nonexist-
Forest in Wyoming had 1,773 infested

VI

CONTROL BY GROUP FELLING AND BURNING

In unusual situations unmerchantable infested trees may occur in heavy concentra-
tions that pose a serious threat to adjacent commercially important areas. Where
such concentrated groups are extensive the entire infested stand can be knocked
down and burned much more economically than the cost of treating the trees in-
dividually. Such an operation was a part of a combined control project on the
Wasatch National Forest where chemical spraying, standing-burning, and logging
were also used in the most effective combinations. A total of 28,500 trees was
treated effectively by the group felling and burning method.

VII

CONTROL BY CHEMICAL SPRAYS

The spraying of penetrating insecticides on the bark of infested trees is the
most versatile method of bark beetle control. Its use is recommended especially
where trees cannot be logged and during periods of high fire hazard. The method
is ineffective during cold months because the chemical requires warm weather for
proper penetration.

Infested lodgepole pine and Engelmann spruce were treated by application of eth-
ylene dibromide mixture on the Ashley, Bridger, Payette, Cache, Dixie, Sawtooth,
Targhee, Teton, and Wasatch National Forests — a total of 156,000 trees.

An outbreak of geometrid caterpillars in the Mill Creek campground area of the
Wasatch National Forest threatened willow and box elder trees on 300 acres.

This also was controlled by chemical spray.

VIII

CONTROL BY AERIAL SPRAYING

Application of pesticides from the air is a highly effective and economical means
of covering sizeable areas of timber infested with such defoliating insects as
pine butterfly, spruce budworm and tussock moth. Chemicals are applied in this
manner only after it has been determined that the adverse effects on wildlife
and other values will be negligible or non-existent. An outbreak of 1,200 acres
of tussock moth infestation in a new ponderosa pine plantation and surrounding
area on the Boise National Forest was quelled by aerial spraying in 1961.

IX

OPERATIONAL SURVEYS

Before control of an insect is undertaken reliable information is needed on the
number of trees infested, their location, and the exact area involved in the in-
festation. These data, obtained by operational surveys, form the basis for con-
trol planning and activity. The surveys are made after entomologists have de-
tected the outbreak, roughly outlined its boundaries, and evaluated its poten-
tial as a destructive agency.

Checking a logged
area for insect
buildup.

Penetrating the
back country by
helicopter - less
costly than an
extended pack
trip.

X

INSECT CONTROL ACCOMPLISHMENT
INTERMQUNTAIN NATIONAL FORESTS
CURRENT YEAR
1961

Hams of ft’oject

National

Forest

Dates of
Treatment
1961

Tree

Species

Insect

Species

Suppression

Ifethod

Total

Area

(Acres)

Area

Treated

(Acres)

No.

Trees

Treated

Aahley

Ashley

5-1 to 6-30

Lodge pole
pine

Mountain
pine beetle

Chemical spray

905

905

4,340

Town Creek
Tueaock noth

Boise

to 6—9

Bonderosa

pine

Tussock

moth

DDT aerial spray

1,200

1,200

—

Green River
15igAl menn spruce
Beetle

Brldger

7-24 to 10-11

Rigftl mATm

Spruce

BageXjnann

spruce

beetle

Chemical spray,
logging and bum
brush

7,200

6,620

20,784

Stauffer Ridge

Cache

5-20 to 6-30

Lodgepole

pine

Miuntaln
pine beetle

Chemical spray
AnH burning

ZT5

275

1,620

Black HlUa beetle

Dixie

5-1 to 6-30

Ponderosa

pine

Black Hills
beetle

Chemical spray
and logging

8,630

8,580

923

Dark Cannon

Muitl-I«Sal

6-1 to 10-31

RigftT iBAnn

Spruce

iHAnn

spruce

beetle

Trap trees

—

—

270

Gooae Creek Road

Payette

6-15 to 6-23

mA rm

spruce

E^s^elnaon

spruce

beetle

Chemical spray

128

128

410

Sawtooth Valley

Sawtooth

5-22 to 6-13

Lodgepole

pine

Mountain
pine beetle

Chemical spray

800

800

163

Douglaa-flr beetle
Survey

Sawtooth

4-15 to 6-20

Douglas-flr

Douglas-flr

beetle

Operational

survey

5,325

—

—

Targhee

Targhee

5-15 to 6-24

Lodgepole

pine

Mountain
pine beetle

Chemical spray

652

652

2,983

Teton

Teton

4^24 to 6^-30

Lodgepole

pine

Mountain
pine beetle

Chemical spray

2,000

1,405

18,493

Soapstone Basin

(Unta

5-1 to 6-30

Spruce

Sigeljnsiui

spruce

beetle

Slash, pile
and bum

280

280

““

North Slope

Wasatch

5-15 to 12-30

Lodgepole

pine

Mountain
pine beetle

Chemical spray,
fell bum, stand-
ing bum, group
fell and bum,
and logging

123,964

39,864

167,027

Kaiimw atw^

Evanston

Wasatch

6-5 to 10-31

Lodgepole

pine

Mountain
pine beetle

Chemical spray

850

850

1,835

MU Creek

Wasatch

6-9 to 11-30

Box elder
and willow

Geomstrldae

Chemical spray

300

300

6,000

Total

152,509

61,859

224,848

XI

TOTAL PEST CONTROL ACCOMPLISHMENT - 1961

‘ Control operations extended over parts of 13 of the 18 National Forests of
the Intermountain Region which embraces Utah, Nevada, southern Idaho, and west-
ern Wyoming. Insects fought were those which either exhibited epidemic tenden-
cies or were in the epidemic destructive stages; mountain pine beetle in lodge-
pole pine, tussock moth in ponderosa pine. Black Hills beetle in ponderosa pine,
the Douglas-fir beetle in Douglas-fir, the Engelmann spruce beetle in Engelmann
spruce, and geometrid caterpillars in box elder and willow.

Acreages of timberland treated were small in comparison to acreages threat-
ened; 61,859 treated, with the controlled infestations capable of infesting and
destroying the forest on 9,000,000 acres.

Forest Pest Control funds expended were $1,467,893 which saved resource
values of many times this cost.

Forest pests pose a never-ending threat to the National Forests and adja-
cent forest lands in other ownerships, but control has proven to be worth the
funds, time, and effort it takes to preserve the forest resources which are ever
growing in value and importance to our national economy and welfare.

XII

D P S U / 6 2

THE NATIONAL FOREST LANDS OF THE INTER MOUNTAIN REGION
SUBJECT TO THE FOREST PEST CONTROL ACT