Saving the forests : and related wildlife resources from insects and diseases

Historic, Archive Document

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

Americans are look-
ing over the shoulders

of pesticide users more

and more often. For example, the 1964 forest
insect aerial spray projects were observed and
monitored by more people than ever before in
the history of forest pest control.

This growing interest has been welcome
and beneficial to forest conservation. It has
drawn public attention to the destructiveness
of forest insects and diseases. It has helped
in obtaining the highest standard of perform-
ance on chemical spraying projects. It has
pinpointed the need for additional research.

The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized
by law to take cooperative and independent
action to protect the Nation's forests against
destructive pests. It is the policy of the De-
partment to practice and to encourage the use

F-510581

Cover Photo: One ally in the never-ending effort
to keep forest insect pests in check is this clerid
beetle poised to eat a southern pine bark beetle
burrowing his way out through the bark of a tree.

Introduction

of those means of effective pest control which
present the least potential hazard to man and
animals. When persistent pesticides must be
used to control or eliminate pests, the Depart-
ment urges that the smallest effective amounts
be applied precisely to the infested area at the
lowest effective frequency. Biological, eco-
logical, or cultural methods or nonpersistent
and low-toxicity pesticides will be used when-
ever they are feasible and will safely and effec-
tively control the pests.

This booklet outlines how USDA's Forest
Service, through delegation of authority from
the Secretary, carries out this policy.

Let's briefly review the impact of the earth's
most common living forms— insects and
diseases — on the forest resource. American
foresters have a formidable array of forest pests
to cope with, on vast forest areas. In the
United States, commercial forest lands total
489 million acres. If we add the 175 million
acres of noncommercial forest land, we have
664 million acres of forest lands which harbor
a multitude of forest insects and diseases.

Protecting this woodland from forest pests is
complicated by the fact that America's forests
contain 152 species of commercial trees and
892 species of noncommercial trees — a total of
1,044 native or naturalized species. Every one
of those tree species has its own brand of
insect or disease enemies. Some of the less
selective pests attack more than one species.

In a few months, bark beetles can kill a
stand of pine, spruce, or fir trees that took
300 years to grow. If this were a row crop,
it could be replaced in a year. To replace a
tree takes generations. Insects and diseases
attack trees in different ways and in all stages
of growth. Many insects, for example, are
specialists. Some work above the ground,
some below. Each has its favorite part of the
tree. Some feed on its leaves, others on its
wood, its flowers, its seeds, its buds, the grow-
ing layer (the cambium), or the roots. No
part of a tree is immune to insect attack. The
same can be said about forest diseases. A
forest pest threat, to some degree, lurks in the
forests always.

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F-494371

Double-checking the details of a spray operation
against a tussock moth outbreak: An entomologist,
a forest ranger, and a pilot make double-sure that
the job is done according to plan.

LIB

R EC-
HO W the Forest Service Doa It SE F

PLANNING A PROJECT. -The Forest
Service and its cooperators carefully study and
evaluate the local forest pest situation. In
so doing they determine the probable extent
of damage to the forest and the best control
method to use if expert opinion predicts a
high loss of trees. Then they weigh the ex-
pected economic loss, if the epidemic is
allowed to continue, against the cost of bring-
ing it under control. Only after specialists
have concluded that benefits will exceed the
cost, that effective control can be attained, and
that proper safeguards can be employed to
protect other values, are action plans drawn
up for a control project.

PROPOSED ACTIONS ARE REVIEWED.
—Proposals are reviewed by local Federal and
State forestry officials, Federal and State health
agencies, wildlife biologists, and affected re-

A R Y

l S. VS'r. '

BELTS

gloTTal groups. They are also reviewed by
regional Forest Pest Action Councils — advisory
bodies that are familiar with all aspects of the
problem. After a project passes these local
reviews it is submitted to the Forest Service
headquarters in Washington for further evalu-
ation by the Department of Agriculture. The
final review following USDA evaluation is
made by the Federal Committee on Pest Con-
trol, which recommends either approval or re-
jection of all pesticide projects involving
Federal funds.

The Committee thoroughly studies each pro-
posal from the standpoint of problems arising
from pesticide use that pose hazards to human
health, livestock, crops, fish, and wildlife and
to the well-being of business, industry, agri-
culture, and the public.

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7 Prevention The best forest is a healthy one. To
keep it that way. protection and good management, including
good silviculture, are required. To practice good forestry
takes manpower, technical skill, and money. A forester
knows that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
He therefore applies cultural practices of proven effectiveness
to help pest-proof his forest. F-.i6.1123

2 Detection Constant vigilance in detecting epidemics
is the watchword. Foresters, woodsmen, towermen, and air
observers keep a sharp lookout for danger signals. All other
forest users— fishermen, hunters, etc. — can help too by report-
ing abnormalities promptly. Early detection makes it possible
to diagnose and treat a pest problem before it becomes a
major outbreak, thus saving time, money, and the forest.

F-460343

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3 Evaluation Once an abnormal pest situation is re-
ported, what's done about it? Plenty! One or more regional
insect and disease survey crews swing into action. Scientists
make an on-the-ground investigation. Then they perform
laboratory and field tests to gage the seriousness of the out-
break. Foresters and other specialists then evaluate the
threatened forest resources and together with the scientists
recommend a course of action. f-482296

4 Suppression Does that action necessarily mean
"spray"? No! The decision may be to wait and see. Some-
times outbreaks subside without seriously damaging the forest.
Where there is a market for the trees, prompt salvage logging
may be the solution. If the timber can't be utilized, affected
trees may be felled and burned. Chemicals are used only as
a last resort. f-446389

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We Need Forest Resources

About one-third of the Nation's land area is forested. For
every acre of public forest land there are 3 acres of private
woodland. From these forests comes the wood we use.
They are also the setting for most of our outdoor recreation.
As multiple-use forests they are the source of habitat for fish
and wildlife; forage for big-game animals and livestock; water
for agriculture, home, and industry; and a myriad of special
products such as Christmas trees, turpentine, maple syrup,
nuts, berries, medicines, chemicals, and organic mulches.
Timber-based economic activities provide jobs for about 3.3
million people and add $25 billion to our annual gross national
product.

America's 4V2 million small privately owned forests are the
Nation's most important single source of forest products.
These private woodlands furnish one-half of all the raw wood
processed by the country's forest industries. When wisely
protected and managed, our woodlands produce a never-
ending stream of products and benefits. They can be an im-
portant source of added income for their owners.

The forests of America including this "sea of trees" provide
abundantly for our needs in wood, forage, water, wddlife, and
recreation. Their future depends on their protection and
management today.

Forests Need Protection

Forest pests have wiped out the American chestnut, are on
the way to doing the same with the American elm, and cloud
the future of the true firs. Growing of white pine has been
made difficult and more costly by the blister rust disease and
white pine weevil.

In epidemic eruptions, insects and disease often leave vast
areas of ghost forest— dead snags that create dangerous forest
fire conditions and disfigure the landscape. They damage
timber, wildlife habitat, and watershed values. The saw-
timber lost annually to pests would build 1 '4 million homes
for American families.

Foresters are working to reduce this waste. Their tools
are varied and the best that scientists have developed. New
improvements are making these more effective and safer for
man and woodland creatures. When other control methods
are lacking, the forester turns to pesticides. He recognizes
the risks involved; he knows that the responsibility for their
use can never be taken lightly. But neither can the respon-
sibility for losing a forest by default. Our forests deserve the
best protection we can afford.

F-446374

Uncontrolled attacks by insects and disease leave acres of dead
trees in their wake. These stark sentinels were once green and

beautiful ponderosa pine trees.

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The Protection Job

COURTESY OF NORTH CAROLINA FORESTRY DEPARTMENT

Scientists study the life history and behavior of
caged insect predators. Knowledge gained will be
applied in the defense of our forests.

Forest pests respect no boundaries. The farmer's or ranch-
er's 40-acre woodland is just as fair game for forest pests as
is a National Forest, a State Forest, or an industrial forest.
Accordingly, the Forest Pest Control Act of 1947 not only
provides for protection of the National Forests and other Fed-
eral forest lands but provides for cooperation by the Forest
Service with State and private landowners in protection of non-
Federal lands.

Pest control scientists agree that time is of the essence in
effectively controlling outbreaks. The first sign of forest pest
activity should be reported to the nearest forester. Forest Serv-
ice personnel have been trained to be constantly alert to de-
tect any unusual activity by forest pests. State-employed and
industrial foresters have been alerted also.

Foresters, however, need cooperation by the owners of the
4'/2 million small forests in detecting and reporting immedi-
ately any unusual insect or disease activity in their woods.
This is particularly important to owners who are managing
family forests for profit with multiple use. An unchecked in-
sect attack, for example, can decimate the trees in a prime forest
campground on which the family relies for added income.

In firefighting, foresters know that the cheapest fire is a
small fire. If forest fires are to be kept small, they must be

One pest control measure, shown here, is to spray chemicals on infested
trees, killing the beetles beneath the bark before they can emerge
to spread and reproduce their kind.

F-499295

detected early and attacked promptly. The same is often true
of insect and disease outbreaks. A team effort by foresters,
landowners, forest users, and others can go a long way toward
keeping outbreaks small.

GROUND CONTROL OF FOREST INSECTS. -A ground
insect suppression project may range from a few trees or acres
to many thousands. Typically, from 1 to 1 XA million in-
fested trees, stumps, and cull logs must be treated each year
by ground control methods to reduce populations of bark
beetles, weevils, and other twig and bark-infesting insects.
There are three commonly used methods: (1) Commercial
logging of affected or susceptible trees, (2) felling, piling, and
burning the trees that must be eliminated and (3) application
of insecticides.

Suppression of bark beetles, major tree killers in the West
and South, requires the largest share of the national pest con-
trol effort. Bark beetles are the most destructive of all con-
iferous forest pests. They kill about 4V2 billion board feet
of timber annually. Whenever possible, infested trees are
cut and removed from the forest while the insects are still
in the larval stage: before the adult beetles emerge to infest
additional trees. Because some areas are not accessible

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enough for profitable logging or because there is no ready
local market for logs, not all infested trees can be salvaged.
Each year, about 300,000 trees are felled and burned to kill
the insects in them.

Forest plantation insects such as weevils, scales, aphids,
spittlebugs, and tip moths can cause great damage in the
Eastern, Southern, and Lake States. They must be controlled
to help protect public and private investments in reforestation.

AERIAL SPRAYING.— Aerial spraying is complex and haz-
ardous. It requires painstaking preparation to insure safe,
effective results. The preliminary phase of an aerial spray
job may require months, the operational phase only a few

When measures such as aerial spray-
ing of insecticides become necessary,
precautions are taken to insure the
utmost safety. This flight is the
culmination of many man-months of
preparation.

F-506748

days. However, aerial spraying is sometimes necessary to
control epidemics of defoliating insects. The most destruc-
tive leaf eaters in conifers are budworms, loopers, needle
miners, tussock moths, and sawflies. Epidemics of these pests
have killed hundreds of thousands of acres of coniferous trees.
Many leaf-eating insects attack hardwood trees. Among the
most damaging of these are the gypsy moth, webworms. and
tent caterpillars.

Defoliating insects pose a continuing threat to forest re-
sources. They are active over millions of acres each year,
but normally their depredations are kept within tolerable lim-
its by natural controls such as parasites, predators, and disease
organisms. Occasionally they get out of hand. It is then

necessary to assist nature by spraying. In an average year this
requires spraying about a million acres. Type of insecticide,
dosages, methods, timing of application, and precautions
taken are in accord with Department of Agriculture policies
noted on page 2.

DISEASE CONTROL OPERATIONS. -Control of white
pine blister rust disease is maintained on IOV2 million acres
of white pine stands in seven eastern States, five Lake States,
and five western States. Each year the "ribes" host plants
are removed from 200,000 to 250,000 acres of Federal, State,
and private land. Except for about 2,000 acres where each
individual plant is treated with herbicides, all removal work
is by hand grubbing methods. Antibiotic fungicides are ap-
plied by helicopter to more than 100,000 acres of blister rust-
infected white pine in Idaho yearly. Previous tests and use
of the fungicides have shown no adverse effects on fish, wild-
life, and people.

Other disease control projects include Federal and Federal-
State cooperative actions in the East and South to check the
tree-killing oak wilt; a program to curb root diseases found
in conifer plantations; and a program through sales and tim-
ber stand improvement to reduce the damage done by the
parasitic dwarfmistletoe in western coniferous forests.

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Forests of the future must be protected today. Improved methods,
and new weapons are needed in the fight to ''save the forests. "

What of the Future?

USDA's scientists are continually searching for better and
safer ways to check destructive pests. The Forest Service,
for example, is doing insect and disease research at 10 Forest
Experiment Stations and a number of project centers. Much
of this work seeks to find new and improved biological, silvi-
cultural, and other nonchemical means of regulating forest
pests. A special Forest Service pest control laboratory has
been established at Berkeley, Calif. Here scientists in coop-
eration with State and Federal health officials, universities,

industry, and others are screening and testing chemicals for
their effects on insects, plants, animals, and humans. This
complements the work of the Fish and Wildlife Service lab-
oratories at Denver, Colo., and Patuxent, Md., which are
chiefly concerned with the effects of pesticides on fish and
wildlife.

The Forest Service, pressing its search for an effective sub-
stitute for DDT, schedules field trials of nonpersistent pesti-
cides each year. For example, it planned pilot tests in Mon-
tana in 1965 to evaluate the effectiveness of one or more
promising nonpersistent insecticides against the spruce bud-
worm. Other studies were planned to test specific formula-
tions of other insecticides and a virus on about 15,000 acres of
National Forest lands in Montana, Idaho, and California in-
fested with spruce budworm and Douglas-fir tussock moth.
Aerial application was planned in both test series.

Nationally, the Forest Service cooperates closely with pri-
vate landowners, States, and other Federal agencies in all con-
trol work. Internationally, Canada. Mexico, and the United
States coordinate forest pest control efforts under the auspices
of the North American Forestry Commission of the FAO,
United Nations. Scientists of the three nations pool their
knowledge for the benefit of all.

While the search for better ways to curb forest pests goes
on, the forester must protect the forest with the tools he has
today. The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized by law to
take cooperative and independent action to protect the Na-

FOR QUICK REFERENCE

HOW THE FOREST SERVICE DOES IT. . . . 3

WE NEED FOREST RESOURCES 6

FORESTS NEED PROTECTION 7

THE PROTECTION JOB 8

GROUND CONTROL OF FOREST INSECTS 9

AERIAL SPRAYING 10

DISEASE CONTROL OPERATIONS 11

WHAT OF THE FUTURE? II

tion's forests against destructive pests. The Forest Service,
by delegation, works with public and private landowners to
accomplish this difficult task. During the 15-vear period
1950-65 under this program, about 32 million acres of public
and private forest lands have been successfully treated by
biological, cultural, mechanical, or chemical methods or by a
combination of methods. Many epidemics have been checked
and kept from spreading. This has been done with minimal
effect on other forms of life. Although the record is good,
it will be improved as research and experience bring new
advances in forest pest control.

The Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, is dedicated to the prin-
ciple of multiple use management of the Nation's forest resources for sustained
yields of wood, water, forage, wildlife, and recreation. Through forestry re-
search, cooperation with the States and private forest owners, and manage-
ment of the National Forests and National Grasslands, it strives— as directed
by Congress— to provide increasingly greater service to a growing Nation.

(Supersedes PA-595. " Holding the Line," issued July 1965.)
Issued July 196} * gpo 1965 of— 777-128

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