FNR 85
forestry & natural resources
WOODLAND MANAGEMENT
Forest Pest Control Perspective
Harvey A. Holt, Associate Professor, Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University and Michael Newton, Professor, School of Forestry, Oregon State University
Forest Pest Management
Pests and the Long-Term Outlook for Forests
Pest control in forests entails several considerations seldom, if ever, encountered in other pest control situations. Management of forest pests is a long term proposition. It takes many years and much capital investment to build up timber growing stock. Because forest tree species are managed for periods of 5 to over 100 years, effective pest management must be combined with other management objectives to prevent recurrence of pest problems. Healthy, fast growing, and pest-resistant forests can and should be among the management objectives of pest control, an objective that cannot be accomplished simply by producing dead pests.
Many of the pest problems in forests are present because of past forest practices. Exploitive harvesting has left non-merchantable trees, brush, and non-stocked lands covered with weeds that prevent regeneration of desired species. Present forest managers are now adopting management methods that minimize the creation of new pest problems. However, there remain vast areas of forest where vegetation or insect control is needed to restore productive forest or to minimize loss due to major insect outbreaks.
Forest Resource Values and Pest Management
Timber supplies of high quality are vital to this country, and, at the same time, forests are everybody’s playground. Many people place special values on scenery and wildlife and become emotionally distraught with the prospect of pesticide use. However, pesticides are used to protect the forest. Of the various methods of protections, pesticides may be among the least destructive. No one questions the desirability of healthy forests. Used properly, pesticides are one alternative to keeping them healthy.
Successful reforestation is dependent on quality tree seedlings delivered from the nursery on schedule. Without effective pest control, this may be impossible. Forest nursery management is entirely different from the management of forests themselves. Seedling production for the nation’s reforestation is dependent on approximately 9,000 nursery-acres. Seedlings in the nursery represent values of $3,000 to $30,000 per nursery-acre, and each acre may represent up to 1,000 acres of reforestation commitments. Incentives are enormous to avoid seedling loss caused by pests, especially weeds and diseases.
PURDUE UNIVERSITY • COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE • WEST LAFAYETTE, INDIANA 47907