The Southern Pine Beetle

[Ron Scott]

The Southern Pine Beetle: The Tree Killer
NPS
 Given that it's smaller than a grain of rice, it might be hard to believe that the minuscule southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis) could cause massive damage to forests! These beetles have been a well-known foe of the southern United States for centuries, but they are a new enemy to the Northeast. Read More

[Magicman]

PatD and I drove to Jackson, about 50 miles, today.  The interstate median and the ROW on each side is completely lined and piled up with beetle killed Pine trees that have been felled and windrowed to keep them from falling across the highway.  Many thousands of trees.  The contractor is being paid $40 per tree to fall and windrow them.

[Don P]

I followed a link to a related article;
Research Brief: Tracking the spread of the Southern Pine Beetle (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)
We had an outbreak here in the Mt Rogers area, I guess about a decade or so ago. They got into a remnant red spruce stand up there and a friend horse logged the trees out. I sawed and dried some for another builder. Some went to a local luthier. Now I'm really hoping that was a freak change of fare. If they have made it up to Maine and have more than pitch pine on their menu it could be really bad.

[Magicman]

Ironically our last major Southern Pine Beetle outbreak here was just before I bought my sawmill.  I was harvesting and hauling infected SYP logs to a sawyer when I realized that I was on the wrong side of lumber.  I was a user and needed to be a producer so I told PatD that I was gonna buy a sawmill.  I paid for my sawmill that first year selling Pine lumber and the rest is history. 

[Magicman]

My prediction about us sawyers being overwhelmed by landowners wanting Beetle Killed Pine sawed has not been a reality.  Yes, I am getting calls and will saw a small job tomorrow, but most folks are wanting to sell, not have sawn.  My tomorrow's customer has 50-60 logs but is only having 6 sawn.  That is all of the lumber that he needs and all of the sawing money that he has.  I have sawed for him 6-8 times in the past.

That being said, we have a glut of startup tree removal guys trying to get rich falling and hauling dead trees.  The going price ranges up to $1k per tree if it is a fall and not a take down.  Reality will come home when the dead trees run out and they are paying for a new Kubota $100k skid steer, dumper, truck & gooseneck hauler.

[SwampDonkey]

It is surprising just how fast spruce bark beetles will move into sick or dead trees around here. Not long after you cut down a spruce, even green off the stump, the wood will have piles of 'cinnamon' on and under the stick. Alaska is being eaten alive by spruce bark beetles in some areas. I follow a young couple up their homesteading, they have no shortage of dead spruce trees for logs in every direction. 

[WhitePineJunky]

It is surprising just how fast spruce bark beetles will move into sick or dead trees around here. Not long after you cut down a spruce, even green off the stump, the wood will have piles of 'cinnamon' on and under the stick. Alaska is being eaten alive by spruce bark beetles in some areas. I follow a young couple up their homesteading, they have no shortage of dead spruce trees for logs in every direction.

At least with spruce beetles their holes aren't that big, pine sawyer beetles are huge

[SwampDonkey]

Yes sawyers are a much bigger insect.  Southern pine bark beetle are similar in size to the spruce bark beetles or western pine bark beetles. They gallery in the cambium just under the bark. Sawyers go all through the sapwood, as do buprestids. But when sawing, sapwood is mostly in slabs. Not 100%, but enough that won't weaken the lumber. I've seen some spruce plywood with sawyer holes on one side of the sheet, other side faces outward on the wall.

[WhitePineJunky]

Yes sawyers are a much bigger insect.  Southern pine bark beetle are similar in size to the spruce bark beetles or western pine bark beetles. They gallery in the cambium just under the bark. Sawyers go all through the sapwood, as do buprestids. But when sawing, sapwood is mostly in slabs. Not 100%, but enough that won't weaken the lumber. I've seen some spruce plywood with sawyer holes on one side of the sheet, other side faces outward on the wall.

Sawyers typically stick to the sap wood but many times I have seen them go well into the center of a mature tree

[Magicman]

Yes, sawyers typically only go 2"-3" through the sapwood, but that still reduces the yield per log.  That is enough to reduce a ~16" log down to the equivalent of a ~12" log which is bad.

[SwampDonkey]

Yes, anything deeper than an inch sure does reduce yield. Even on huge wood, anything more than 1/2" of slab. Difference angles of curvature.

[Magicman]

Looks like they finished removing my neighbor's 'bout a half dozen dead trees today.  Another neighbor called asking who to call to remove her beetle dead Pines.

Summer weed growth etc. is covering some of last year's ugly along the interstate where the trees were felled and wind-rowed.

[vratarneli7]

It is surprising just how fast spruce bark beetles will move into sick or dead trees around here. swashbuckler miniature Not long after you cut down a spruce, even green off the stump, the wood will have piles of 'cinnamon' on and under the stick. https://sharpedgeshop.com/collections/gyuto-knives-chefs-knife Alaska is being eaten alive by spruce bark beetles in some areas. I follow a young couple up their homesteading, they have no shortage of dead spruce trees for logs in every direction.

It's fascinating

[Texas Ranger]

I was the "bug man" for 5 counties in Texas, starting in 1966, stayed 13 years.  We started by cut and spray with BHC, did this for years.  Then Boyce Thompson Institute chose a 640 acre of mature company pine and started their study.  They were led by Dr. (I think) Leroy Williamson, an experienced entomologist.  First break through was Fontelure, a synthetic SPB hormone that allowed the "leading" of an attack.  Found no practical use for it. Then they started on cut and leave which was our most successful method.  We harvested millions of feet of mature pine to the point where we couldn't give it away.  That was in the mid 1980's, we lost square miles on mature pine, the SPB disappeared, has not come back.  We cut the mature timber and went to a shorter rotation, up till then we were talking 35-year rotation and longer.  We in effect destroyed the beetle habitat. We still have a few, usually mixed with the Ips beetle, but not anything like we had before.

It was bad enough at its worse to have us flying 5 days a week, then ground checking for a week, then repeat ad nauseum. Now I think they only fly selective areas and usually once or twice a year.

My biggest case was as a consultant working with a logger at the Indian Reservation where the "spot" grew to over 1800 acres before controlled. (Acreage may be wrong, but we harvested near a million feet and lost nearly 4 million feet.)(And the average per acre volume was around 3,000+ per acre!)

[SwampDonkey]

Forest tent caterpillar was on the march this spring, it defoliates  mostly aspen, but hits other species including maple. Expecting a drop in sap/syrup production due to defoliation. It's not hit my woodlot yet, I don't really have a lot of aspen, just little pockets, but there is lots of it all around me. I don't yet see the bug in those. It's been about 40 years since it was around here in large numbers.

[vratarneli7]

Yes sawyers are a much bigger insect.  Southern pine bark beetle are similar in size to the spruce bark beetles or western pine bark beetles. https://pharma-hemp.com/product-category/cbd-drops/cbd-carrier-oil/They gallery in the cambium just under the bark. Sawyers go all through the sapwood, as do buprestids. But when sawing, sapwood is mostly in slabs. Not 100%, but enough that won't weaken the lumber. I've seen some spruce plywood with sawyer holes on one side of the sheet, other side faces outward on the wall.

Thanks for the clarification!

[Ron Scott]

USDA introduces Southern Pine Beetle hazard rating maps USDA | AUGUST 22, 2024    Southern Pine Beetle is the most economically impactful forest pest in the southern United States, causing an estimated $1.5 billion in damage in recent years. These county summary hazard maps help identify areas with the potential for experiencing significant beetle activity. READ MORE

The E-Forester

[Magicman]

Thankfully as of yet, I am not seeing any freshly dying SYP trees this year.

I am still sawing plenty from last year.  If they are not sawn this year, they will not be salvageable.