Montana United States Forest Insect and Disease Conditions Department of Agriculture and Program Forest Service Highlights Northern Region Forest Health Protection 2006 Montana Department of Natural Resources Trees killed by bark beetles and Conservation Forestry Division Assessing decay in fire-killed western larch MOONNTTAANNAA M FFoorreesstt IInnsseecctt aanndd DDiisseeaassee CCoonnddiittiioonnss aanndd PPrrooggrraamm HHiigghhlliigghhttss -- 22000066 Report 06-1 2007 Compiled By: Amy Gannon, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Forestry Division Scott Sontag and Kjerstin Skov, USDA Forest Service, Northern Region, State and Private Forestry, Forest Health Protection Contributors: Leah Aquino, Gregg DeNitto, Ken Gibson, Marcus Jackson, Blakey Lockman, Kjerstin Skov, Nancy Sturdevant, USDA Forest Service, Northern Region, State and Private Forestry, Forest Health Protection; Brennan Ferguson, Amy Gannon, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, Forestry Division Data Summary and Map Production: Jim Fears, USDA Forest Service, Northern Region, State and Private Forestry, Forest Health Protection Cover Photo: Trees killed by bark beetles, courtesy of Ken Gibson, USDA Forest Service. Assessing decay in fire-killed larch, courtesy of Marcus Jackson, USDA Forest Service. i TABLE OF CONTENTS ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 1 SUMMARY OF CONDITIONS................................................................................................... 1 Bark Beetles ....................................................................................................................... 1 Defoliators .......................................................................................................................... 2 Root Diseases .................................................................................................................... 3 Foliage Diseases................................................................................................................ 3 Dwarf Mistletoes................................................................................................................. 3 White Pine Blister Rust...................................................................................................... 4 ANNUAL AERIAL SURVEY...................................................................................................... 4 BARK BEETLE CONDITIONS BY REPORTING AREA IN BRIEF.......................................... 5 Mountain Pine Beetle (MPB) ............................................................................................. 5 Douglas-fir Beetle (DFB).................................................................................................... 5 Fir Engraver (FE)................................................................................................................ 6 Pine Engraver Beetle (IPS)................................................................................................ 6 Spruce Beetle (ESB) .......................................................................................................... 6 Western Pine Beetle (WPB)............................................................................................... 6 DEFOLIATOR CONDITIONS BY REPORTING AREA IN BRIEF ............................................ 7 Western Spruce Budworm (WSBW) ................................................................................. 7 Larch Casebearer (LCB).................................................................................................... 8 Douglas-fir Tussock Moth ................................................................................................. 8 Gypsy Moth......................................................................................................................... 8 DISEASE CONDITIONS BY REPORTING AREA IN BRIEF.................................................... 8 Root Disease ...................................................................................................................... 8 Stem Decay......................................................................................................................... 9 Foliage Disease.................................................................................................................. 9 Dwarf Mistletoe................................................................................................................... 9 INSECT AND DISEASE CONDITIONS BY REPORTING AREA ........................................... 11 Beaverhead Reporting Area............................................................................................ 11 Bitterroot Reporting Area................................................................................................ 14 Custer Reporting Area..................................................................................................... 17 Deerlodge Reporting Area............................................................................................... 19 Flathead Reporting Area ................................................................................................. 22 Gallatin Reporting Area................................................................................................... 26 Helena Reporting Area .................................................................................................... 31 Kootenai Reporting Area................................................................................................. 33 Lewis & Clark Reporting Area......................................................................................... 37 Lolo Reporting Area......................................................................................................... 40 Garnet Reporting Area..................................................................................................... 43 INDIAN RESERVATIONS ....................................................................................................... 44 Blackfeet IR....................................................................................................................... 44 Crow IR.............................................................................................................................. 45 Flathead IR........................................................................................................................ 45 Fort Belknap IR................................................................................................................. 46 Northern Cheyenne IR ..................................................................................................... 47 Rocky Boys IR.................................................................................................................. 47 NATIONAL PARKS.................................................................................................................48 Glacier NP......................................................................................................................... 48 Yellowstone NP................................................................................................................48 ii SPECIAL PROJECTS ............................................................................................................. 50 1. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Thinning Treatments on DFB-Caused Tree Mortality ...................................................................................................................... 50 2. Evaluating Effects of Spring Versus Fall Burning on DFB-Caused Tree Mortality ...................................................................................................................... 50 3. Testing Efficacy of Verbenone and Hexanol Pouches in Reducing MPB-Caused Mortality in LPP and WBP ......................................................................................... 50 4. Whitebark/Limber Pines Information System (WLIS) ............................................. 51 5. Elytroderma Needle Disease Thinning and Pruning Project.................................. 51 6. Changes in Fire-Killed Western Larch ..................................................................... 51 7. Larch Dwarf Mistletoe Remeasurements................................................................. 52 8. The Forester’s Toolkit................................................................................................ 52 9. Nursery Disease Projects……………………………………………………………………..53 COMMON AND SCIENTIFIC NAMES .................................................................................... 55 PUBLICATIONS 2006 ............................................................................................................. 56 DIRECTORY OF PERSONNEL .............................................................................................. 60 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Beaverhead Reporting Area and Beaverhead National Forest Ranger Districts 11 Figure 2 Bitterroot Reporting Area and Bitterroot National Forest Ranger Districts ... 14 Figure 3 Custer Reporting Area and Custer National Forest Ranger Districts ............. 17 Figure 4 Deerlodge Reporting Area and Deerlodge National Forest Ranger Districts. 19 Figure