Partnering for Healthy Forests

Research and the Healthy Forests Restoration Act

The Southern Pine Beetle Integrated Pest Management Program: A Coalition Response to the

Healthy Forests Restoration ActRobert N. Coulson:Professor, Knowledge Engineering Laboratory, Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University

Frederick M. Stephen: University Professor and Acting Head, Department of Entomology, University of Arkansas

Kier D. Klepzig: Project Leader, USDA Forest Service, Southern Research Station

Forrest L. Oliveria:Field Office Representative, USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Protection

Southern Pine Beetle IPM Program

• Healthy Forests Restoration Act -Title 4

• The Southern Pine Beetle

• Research Development and Applications for Southern Pine Beetle IPM

• Call For Action

The Healthy Forests Restoration Act• Title 1: Hazardous Fuel Reduction on Federal Land: • Title 4: Insect Infestations and Related Diseases:

– Purposes:• 1. To develop an accelerated basis and applied

assessment program to combat infestations by forest-damaging insects and associated diseases.

• 2. To engage the stakeholders (including universities, state agencies, and private landowners) to carry out the program.

• 3. To implement applied silvicultural assessments.

The term “forest-damaging insect” means:

• Southern pine beetle;• Mountain pine beetle;• gypsy moth;• Hemlock woolly

adelgid;• Emerald ash borer;• Red oak borer;• I. Etc.

Southern Pine Beetle IPM Program

• Healthy Forests Restoration Act -Title 4

• The Southern Pine Beetle

• Research Development and Applications for Southern Pine Beetle IPM

• Call For Action

Why the Southern Pine Beetle?• The economic, social, and

ecological impact of the SPB is catastrophic across the Southern US.

• Recent damage caused by this insect exceeds all historical records.

• Ca. 89 million acres of forest land in the South are at risk to the SPB.

• Timber losses alone attributable to the SPB outbreaks exceed 2.5 billion $$.

• Outbreaks cycle within the Southern region and we cannot anticipate when or where they will occur or predict their severity. Consequently, when outbreaks do occur the effects on forest health are devastating.

19751975

1980

1986

1992

1995

2001

The number of years in which the southern pine beetle reached outbreak status since 1960 (USDA-FS 2004).

Why the Southern Pine Beetle?• The economic, social, and

ecological impact of the SPB is catastrophic across the Southern US.

• Recent damage caused by this insect exceeds all historical records.

• Ca. 89 million acres of forest land in the South are at risk to the SPB.

• Timber losses alone attributable to the SPB outbreaks exceed 2.5 billion $$.

• Outbreaks cycle within the Southern region and we cannot anticipate when or where they will occur or predict their severity. Consequently, when outbreaks do occur the effects on forest health are devastating.

• The geographic range of the insect continues to expand and new host tree species are being infested.

• The existing knowledge base for the insect is inadequate to explain the causes for the epidemic or provide insight into how it can be managed.

R. Coulson

R. Coulson R. Billings

R. Billlings

How can depredations caused by the southern pine beetle be managed within tolerable limits?

Southern Pine Beetle IPM Program

• Healthy Forests Restoration Act -Title 4

• The Southern Pine Beetle

• Research Development and Applications for Southern Pine Beetle IPM

• Call For Action

Research Development and Applications for Southern Pine Beetle IPM

• In August of 2004 representatives of the stakeholder community (Southern State Agricultural Experiment Stations, USDA Forest Service, State Forestry Agencies, and Industry) participated in a facilitated workshop: – To define the RD&A Agenda for a SPB IPM program.– To develop a plan to implement the program.

• The goal of this workshop was to provide the technical underpinning for a region-wide RD&A initiative directed to integrated management of the SPB.

The Organizational

Framework

The Approach: A facilitated workshop

Facilitation Approach

• Evaluate the scope and bounds of each IPM activity.• Define the RD&A questions associated with each IPM activity.• Prioritize the RD&A questions.• Identify products that would be delivered from a targeted RD&A program.

Proportion of Effort Needed in the SPB RD&A Program

Research Acquisition of new knowledge 38%

Development Integration and interpretation of new and existing knowledge 40%

Application Use of knowledge for planning, problem solving, decision support 22%

The priorities for the SPB IPM program involve a blend of activities associated with research, development, and

applications.

Products of the Workshop

Southern Pine Beetle IPM Program

• Healthy Forests Restoration Act -Title 4

• The Southern Pine Beetle

• Research Development and Applications for Southern Pine Beetle IPM

• Call For Action

A representative cross-section of the stakeholder community objectively evaluated the SPB problem and concluded that a centrally organized and specifically targeted RD&A program, based on concepts of IPM, would provide the means to directly and measurably reduce impacts of the SPB.

The RD&A agenda, implementation plan, and a list of deliverable produces that would follow from a SPB IPM program were defined and summarized.

The Agricultural Experiment Stations from the Southern and adjacent regions are requesting $30 million ($6 million/yr for five years) through the USDA Forest Service to fund a centrally managed RD&A program to address SPB IPM.

Administration of the program will be through the Southern Regional IPM Center at NC State University.

Questions?