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Quinney Natural Resources Research Library, The Bark Beetles, Fuels, and Fire Bibliography S.J. and Jessie E.

10-1-1934

Forest Fire Damage Studies in the Northeast--I. Bark-Beetles and Fire Damaged Hardwoods

Paul W. Stickel

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Part of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Entomology Commons, Forest Biology Commons, Forest Management Commons, and the Wood Science and Pulp, Paper Technology Commons

Recommended Citation Stickel, Pail W. 1934. Forest Fire Damage Studies in the Northeast--I. Bark-Beetles and Fire Damaged Hardwoods. Journal of Forestry 32(2): 701-703.

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10-1-1934 Forest Fire Damage Studies in the Northeast--I. Bark-Beetles and Fire Damaged Hardwoods Paul W. Stickel

Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/barkbeetles Part of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Entomology Commons, Forest Biology Commons, Forest Management Commons, and the Wood Science and Pulp, Paper Technology Commons

Recommended Citation Stickel, Pail W. 1934. Forest Fire Damage Studies in the Northeast--I. Bark-Beetles and Fire Damaged Hardwoods. Journal of Forestry 32(2): 701-703.

This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Quinney Natural Resources Research Library, S.J. and Jessie E. at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in The aB rk Beetles, Fuels, and Fire Bibliography by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. FOREST FIRE DAMAGE STUDIES IN THE NORTHEAST I. BARK-BEETLES AND FiaE DAMAGED HARDWOODS

BY PAUL W. STICKEL AssociateSilviculturist, Northeastern Forest Experiment Station •

In reportingthe damageto trees scorchedlightly at the base by fire the averagefire wardenand eventhe technicallytrained foresteris given to stating that little harm has been done providingthe tree crownsremain green. Such a statementis far from being correct,failing as it doesto take into accountthe aftermathof insectand fungusdamage which invariablyfollows even the lightest of surfacefires. In the casereported herein, over 50 per cent of the fire-scorchedhardwoods showed signs of the presenceof am- brosia-beetles,in qualitywhose of thework, wood even of the if the most trees valuable continue partto of live, •he causes tree---thea serious butt log.reductior

penetrateinto the wood. Since their bor- to the contrary (2), forest entom- ings can penetratethe hardwoodin every ESPITE.ologists areHopkins' generallyearlyin agreementstatement direction,and thusriddle it with holes,the as.to the importantrelationship between ambrosia-beetlesare capableof largely fire-injuryin standingtimber and insects. destroyingthe value of the woodfor the In the caseof coniferousspecies and the more exacting purposes. Furthermore, true bark-beetles,.this associationhas been since these beetlesare always associated emphasizedby suchworkers as Craighead withembrosia fungi, from whencethey get (1), Keen (4), Miller and Patterson(5), their name, the wood in the immediate and Swaine (6). As far as the writer is vicinityo• the galleriesis usuallyblackened aware,the relation of fire injury to am- or stained. This still further reduces the brosia-beetleattack in hardwoodshas not grade of the wood and its value in the received much consideration in the litera- market. ture. In fact, asidefrom the brief descrip- tions found in such standard taxonomic FIELD DATA worksas Swaine(6), only onecomprehen- sive accountof this specializedgroup of In the courseof establishingpermanent bark-beetleshas beenpublished. This is sampleplots on whichto studythe mortal- to be foundin the long-out-of-printand ity anddecadence of fire-damagedtrees, an now very rare paper by Hubbard (3). excellentopportunity was afforded during Although the presencein the tree of the summer of 1933 to observethe relation both true bark-beetles and embrosia-beetles of fire injury to ambrosia-beetleattack. is readily detectedon the surfaceof bark At Ramapo,Rockland County, New York, by means of the small round entrance- a forestfire, coveringapproximately 150 holesand the fine,whitish boring-dust, a re- acres,occurred on April 24, 1933. The moval of the bark will disclosethat, where- forest, second-growthin character,falls as the galleriesof the true bark-beetlesare within the scarletoak-black oak (Quercus superficialand lie withinor just underthe coccineeMuenchhausen--Q. velutina La bark, the galleriesof the ambrosia-beetlesMarck) 2 covertype, a althoughin this case XMaintainedby the U.S. Departmentof Agricultureat New Haven,Connecticut, in coSperation with Yale University. aBotanicalnomenclature according to G. B. Sudworth: Check List of Forest Trees of the United States,their namesand ranges.U.S. Dept. Agr. Mis. Cir. 92, 295 p. 1927. Entomologicalno- menclature after Swaine (6). aForestcover types of the easternUnited States. Jour.For. 30 (4): 451-498,1932. 701 702 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY

blackoak is absent. The standis pre- One point of interestwas noted as far as dominantlyscarlet oak, with suchassociates' degree of damageand insect attack are con- as red, white,and chestnutoaks (Q. bo- cerned.On treeswith onlyone degree of realis,Michaux f., Q. alba Linnaeus,and bark discolorration,i.e. scorch,the beetles Q. montanaWilldenow), pignut hickory were usually lacking. Where they did occur (Hicoriaglabra (Miller) Sweet)and oc- ontrees having all threedegrees of barkdas- casionallypaper, gray, and blackbirches coloration--scorch,char, and burn--thear (Betulapapyri]era Marshall, B. popull- entrance-holeswere most numerousin the JollaMarsh, and B. lentaLinnaeus), large- zoneof charredbark. Sincein thesehard- toothaspen (Populus grandidentata Mi- woodsthe extent of cambialwounding and chaux), sugarmaple (,4cer saccharumsubsequent drying out of woodtissue fol- Marshall),and sassafras (Sassa]ras varii- low very closelythe zonesof charredand ]olium (Salisbury)Kuntze). burnt bark, it would seemthat theseam- During August, 1933, or about six brosia-beetlesprefer working in themore monthsafter the fire, a 150-footsquare badly fire-injuredtrees. In fact, subse- plot was establishedin the burned-over quentfindings may prove that the presence area. Notall treeson the plot were tagged or absenceof theseinsects is an excellent and measured;only those which were indexnot only of theinitial degree of in- scorchedat the baseand still alive, were jurybut also of probablefuture recovery. selectedfor futurestudy. All told, 116 Specimensof the ambrosia-beetleswere trees over 0.5 inches d.b.h. were selected collectedand identified in thelaboratory. for observation. Their diametersvaried Thespecies found in eachhost are given from 1.5 to 12.5 inchesd.b.h. with an avex- in thefollowing list:- ageof 5.3inches, while the heights ranged Scarletoak--Pterocyclon ]asciatum Say. from18 to 60 feetwith an average height White oak--Pterocyclonmali Fitch and of 41 feet. In general,the areacan be Xyleborus saxesceniRatz. classedas site 1 for the oakswhich formed Chestnutoak--Xyleborus saxbsceni Ratz. themaj or portionof thestand. Blackbirch--Xyloterinus politus Say. Uponexamining the individualtrees for Gray birch--Xyleborussaxesceni Ratz. thepurpose of delimitingareas of barkdis- Paper birch--,4nisandruspyri Peck, coloration, it soon became evident that Pterocyclonmali Fitch, and Xyleborus ambro.sia-beetleswerepreser•t in manyof saxesceni Ratz. them. The final check disclosedthat 62 Sugarmaple--Xylaterinus politus Say of the 116 trees,or 53 per cent,were in- and Xyleborussaxesceni Ratz. festedwith theseinsects. 4 It is believedthat Largetoothaspen--Xyleborus saxesceni an examinationof the treesnext year will Ratz. showthat this percentage is even greater. Sassafras•Xyleborussaxesceni Ratz. Evenduring the brief period spent on the Asidefrom illustrating the close relation- areawhile laying out the plot,it wasap- ship betweenfire-injury and bark-beetle parentthat theinfestation was spreading attack in hardwoods,the facts cited above rapidly. Manytrees which on first inspec- emphasizethe needfor makingmore than tion showedno signsof beetlework had one inspectionof burned-overareas if ac- entrance-holesand boring-duston their curate fire damageappraisals are to be bark a few dayslater. obtained. There is little doubt that in the

•Inno instance, either on the plot or adjacent toit, wereambrosia-beetles observed working on trees not injured by fire. FOREST FIRE DAMAGE STUDIES 703 casein questionan inspectionmade im- beetles of the United States. U.S. mediatelyafter the fire would have failed Dept. Agr. Div. Ent. Bul. 7, New series, to disclose the presenceof ambrosia- 9-30, illus. beetles. It seemshighly essential,there- 4. Keen, F. G., 1928. Insect enemiesof fore, that fire-injuredtrees be allowed "to Californiapines and their control. Cal. season"before attempting to ascertainac- curatedamage data. Dept. Nat. Science,Div. For. Bul. 7, 113 p. illus. REFERENCES 5. Miller, J. M. and J. E. Patterson,1927. Preliminarystudies on the relationof 1. Craighead,F. C., 1925. The Dendroc- fire injury to bark beetleattack in tonusproblem. Jour.For. 23 (4): 340- westernyellow pine. Jour.Agr. Res.34 354. (7): 597-614, illus. 2. Hopkins, A.D., 1909. Some insects 6. Swaine, J. M., 1918. Canadianbark- injurious to forests--Insectdepreda- tions in North American forests and beetles.Part II. A preliminaryclassi- practical methodsof prevention and fication,with an accountof the habits control. U.S. Dept. Agr. Bur. Ent. and means of control. Dom. Canada, Bul. 58, Pt. V: 57-101, illus. Dept. Agr. Ent. Branch.Bul. 14, 143 3. Hubbard, H. G., 1897. The ambrosia- p., illus.

One of the theoriesaccounting for the prairies,ascribes them to the fires annuallyset by Indiansfor drivinggame, or for favoringthe growthof grassthat shouldattract deer and othergame to this pasturage;and so far as relatesto "oakopenings," "barrens," and the prairies east of theMississippi, this theory has the strongestground of probability. Howeverthis may be, we havethese facts beforeus, that scarcelya year passeswithout the occurrenceof forestfires of suffi- cientextent to attractpublic notice; .that they are particularlyprevalem in seasons of protracteddrought, and more frequent from yearto year as thesedroughts be- comemore frequent and more widespreadin their effect.--ReportUpon Forestry by Franklin B. Hough (1877).