Utah Forest Insect and Disease Conditions Report 2012
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United States Department of Utah Agriculture Forest Insect Forest Service State and Private Forestry and Disease Forest Health Protection Intermountain Region R4-OFO-Report 13-01 Conditions State of Utah Department of Natural Report Resources Division of Forestry, Fire, and State Lands 2012 FOREST HEALTH SPECIALISTS USDA Forest Service State of Utah Forest Health Protection Department of Natural Resources Ogden Field Office Division of Forestry, Fire, & State Lands 4746 South 1900 East 1594 West North Temple, Suite 3520 Ogden, Utah 84403 P.O. Box 145703 Phone: 801-476-9720 Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-5703 Fax: 801-479-1477 Phone: 801-538-5211 Fax: 801-533-4111 Steve Munson, Group Leader email: [email protected] Colleen Keyes, Forest Health Coordinator email: [email protected] Darren Blackford, Entomologist email: [email protected] Valerie DeBlander, Forestry Technician email: [email protected] John Guyon II, Plant Pathologist email: [email protected] Elizabeth Hebertson, Plant Pathologist email: [email protected] Ben Meyerson, Biological Technician email: [email protected] Danielle Reboletti, Entomologist email: [email protected] Cover photo: Henry Mountains Doug Page-BLM-Cedar City Field Office ii Utah Forest Insect and Disease Conditions Report 2012 Compiled by: Valerie DeBlander With contributions from: Colleen Keyes Kathy Matthews Elizabeth Hebertson John Guyon Danielle Reboletti December 2013 iii Table of Contents FOREST HEALTH CONDITIONS SUMMARY ............................................................... 1 INSECT STATUS ..................................................................................................... 6 Native Defoliators ............................................................................................................... 6 Douglas-fir Tussock Moth .................................................................................................... 6 Western Spruce Budworm .................................................................................................. 6 Western Tent Caterpillar ..................................................................................................... 7 Western False Hemlock Looper .......................................................................................... 7 Needle Insects ..................................................................................................................... 7 Piñon Needle Scale ............................................................................................................. 7 Black Pineleaf Scale ............................................................................................................ 8 Native Bark Beetles ............................................................................................................ 8 Fir Engraver Beetle .............................................................................................................. 8 Mountain Pine Beetle .......................................................................................................... 9 Douglas-fir Beetle .............................................................................................................. 10 Spruce Beetle .................................................................................................................... 10 Piñon Engraver Beetle ....................................................................................................... 11 Western Pine Beetle .......................................................................................................... 11 Borers ................................................................................................................................. 12 Pitch Mass Borer ............................................................................................................... 12 Insects: Non-native .......................................................................................................... 12 European Gypsy Moth ...................................................................................................... 12 DISEASE STATUS ................................................................................................. 13 Stem and Branch Diseases ............................................................................................. 13 Dwarf Mistletoes ................................................................................................................ 13 Piñon Blister Rust .............................................................................................................. 14 White Pine Blister Rust ...................................................................................................... 14 Sudden Oak Death ............................................................................................................ 14 Thousand Cankers Disease ............................................................................................... 14 Root Diseases .................................................................................................................... 16 Annosum Root Disease ..................................................................................................... 16 Armillaria Root Disease ..................................................................................................... 16 Black Stain Root Disease .................................................................................................. 17 Leaf and Needle Diseases ............................................................................................... 17 Aspen Leaf Spot ............................................................................................................... 17 DECLINES / COMPLEXES ....................................................................................... 18 Subalpine Fir Mortality Complex ....................................................................................... 18 Aspen Decline ................................................................................................................... 18 ABIOTIC DAMAGE ................................................................................................ 19 Frost Damage .................................................................................................................... 19 iv Blowdown ........................................................................................................................... 20 Snow Avalanches/Mudslides .......................................................................................... 20 NOXIOUS WEEDS ................................................................................................ 20 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................... 25 List of Figures Figure 1. Surveyed Areas for the 2012 Aerial Insect and Disease Detection Survey ......................... 4 Figure 2. Douglas-fir tussock moth larvae (Photo: D. McComb, Bugwood.org). ............................... 6 Figure 3. Black pineleaf scale on Austrian pine (Photo: C. Keyes; UT, DNR, FFSL). ....................... 8 Figure 4. Pitch mass borer (Photo Eric R. Day, Bugwood.org). .................................................... 12 Figure 5. Southwestern dwarf mistletoe (Photo: John Guyon; FHP, OFO). ................................... 13 Figure 6. Adult Walnut Twig Beetle (Photo: Javier Mercado, Bugwood.org). ................................. 14 Figure 7. Black walnut with branch dieback (Photo: Danielle Reboletti; FHP, OFO). ...................... 15 Figure 8. Lure and funnel trap (Photo: Danielle Reboletti; FHP, OFO). ........................................ 15 Figure 9. Dispersal study of walnut twig beetle (Photo: Steve Seybold; FS, PSW, Davis, CA). ......... 15 Figure 10. Annosum conk at the base of a tree (Photo: John Guyon; FHP, OFO) ........................... 16 Figure 11. Armillaria fans on Ashley National Forest (Photo: John Guyon; FHP, OFO). .................. 17 Figure 12. Symptoms of aspen leaf spot. .................................................................................... 17 Figure 13. Areas of aspen dieback symptoms reported from ADS 2003 to 2008. .......................... 18 List of Tables Table 1. Total number of acres aerially surveyed in each county during 2012 .................................................. 2 Table 2. Trees killed and acres affected by several agents in Utah counties as detected by ADS in 2012. ........... 3 Table 3. Trees defoliated and acres affected by several agents in Utah counties, as detected by ADS in 2012. .... 5 Table 4. Summary of damage to Utah aspen forests.................................................................................... 19 Table 5. The county locations of Utah noxious weeds grouped by priority class. ............................................ 23 v FOREST HEALTH CONDITIONS SUMMARY This report focuses only on the impacts of insects, diseases, and other disturbances on the various tree species of the state. Aerial detection surveys (ADS) conducted by the USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Protection offices are the means of collecting data that is used to describe mortality trends in the state from year to year. Mortality trends are described in terms of acres affected, however, not all trees on these acres are dead. Thus, an estimate of the number of trees killed is also provided. Not all forested lands are surveyed, and