Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons Forestry Symposia School of Renewable Natural Resources 1985 1985: Insects and Diseases of Southern Forests Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/agrnr_symposia Part of the Forest Sciences Commons Recommended Citation Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College, "1985: Insects and Diseases of Southern Forests" (1985). Forestry Symposia. 33. http://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/agrnr_symposia/33 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Renewable Natural Resources at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Forestry Symposia by an authorized administrator of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 34th Annual Forestry Sym posium 1 9 8 5 INSECTS AND DISEASES OF FORESTSS O U T H E R N SCHOOL OF FORESTRY WILDLIFE, AND FISHE R IE S lOUISIANA EXPERIMENTAGRICULTURAL STATION LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AGRICULTURAL CENTER 34th Annual Forestry Symposium 1985 INSECTS AND DISEASES OF SOUTHERN FORESTS EDITED BY RICHARD A. GOYER Professor of Entomology and JOHN P. JONES Associate Professor of Plant Pathology and Crop Physiology Published through the academic direction of SCHOOL OF FORESTRY, WILDLIFE, AND FISHERIES LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AGRICULTURAL CENTER In cooperation with LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY AGRICULTURAL CENTER TABLE OF CONTENTS Page iii John P. Jones Acknowledgments................ iv SESSION I How Insect and Disease Problems Manifest Themselves in the Landscape and Urban Forestry Industry............... 2 Managing Forest Insect and Disease Losses............... 5 Impact of Insects and Diseases on Large Industrial 8 and Stephen W. Coleman Recent Advances in Insect Control 16 Nursing Diseases - Outplanting Survival as Affected by 24 SESSION II A Decision Support System for 35 Michael C. Saunders, Koushen D. Loh, Edward J. Rykeil, Thomas L. Payne, Paul E. Pulley, and Lorinda C. Hu A View of Resistance to Fusiform 47 Influence of Forestry Practices on Bark Beetle Populations: 52 Prospects for Oak Wilt Control in 60 i Mechanisms of Tree Resistance to Bark Beetles: 69 T. D. Paine, and M. P. Lih Recent Advances in Control of 83 SESSION III Utilization of Pheromones in C. Wayne Berisford, 92 Gary L. DeBarr, and Thomas L. Payne Biological and Natural Control of Forest Insects — An Update............. 97 Decreasing Losses Due to Wood Deterioration Through Proper Forestry Practices.................... Terry L. Amburgey 105 Implementing Forest Pest Management: The Forester's Role....................... ..Ronald F. Billings 111 Making Management Decisions Before Establishing Slash Pine Plantations in Areas Where Fusiform Rust is a Hazard................. 120 ii FOREWORD The problem of insects in southern forests has not been addressed by this Symposium series since 1965, and diseases never have been so addressed. It was felt that a consideration of both of these subjects would be timely. In the twenty years since insects were discussed in this series a number of advances have been made - both by entomologists and insects. Insect damage and control are, most immediately, becoming one of the forestry industry's largest concerns as noted in the opening session of the Symposium. The applied chemical control of insects in seed orchards has become very important in the last two decades because of increasing demand for genetically improved pine seedlings for regeneration. Two major research and development programs aimed at pine bark beetles have enhanced our ability to coordinate preventative management with existing control strategies. Recently, host tree resistance, insect pheromones, and natural and biological control organisms have received renewed research efforts. Lastly, the aspect of technology transfer through user-friendly computer systems has vastly improved the ability of the practicing forester to utilize the products of technical research. Diseases have an important impact on all aspects of the forestry industry. Fusiform rust is easily the single most devastating disease in southern pine forests. Recently some very promising advances in control strategies have been reported, particularly in the genetics of resistance to fusiform rust. Some very useful mathematical models for predicting the impact of fusiform rust in plantations also have been developed. Longleaf pine is a potential alternative to loblolly or slash pine in areas of high fusiform rust hazard, particularly in light of some of the recent advances in control of brown spot needle blight. Equally important to the forest industry, probably, is wood decay. It is quite difficult to assess the loss due to wood decay because it occurs at every step of the forestry industry from standing trees to in-service wood. Some of the steps that can be taken to alleviate losses due to wood decay are discussed here. The problem of oak wilt has taken on a new dimension with the recognition of an oak wilt epidemic in Texas. Oaks are the dominant tree in central Texas and this disease occurs over large areas including urban as well as rural settings. The situation in Texas is unusual in several respects and, we thought, of interest to southern foresters. It is the intent of this Symposium to present us~able information to the practicing forester. While theoretical or experimental aspects of forest insects and diseases are included as interesting and important, the payoff is in the profitable application of these aspects by practicing foresters. We trust that this volume will be useful in that respect. Richard A. Goyer John P. Jones iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We extend our appreciation to all participants in the Symposium, especially the speakers and moderators. Several companies provided exhibits and/or financial support of the Symposium. These were: Forestry Suppliers, General Supply Co., Ben Meadows Co., Pennwalt Corp., Mobay Co., and Bennett and Peters Co. Drs. Allen Main and Robert Mills, Louisiana Cooperative Extension Service, were of invaluable assistance in organizing and printing and distribution of the program. Ms. Julie Marotz was instrumental in the typing of the manuscript. iv SESSION I Moderator: Dr. Harvey Toko Staff Director USFS, Forest Insect and Disease Management Atlanta, GA HOW INSECT AND DISEASE PROBLEMS MANIFEST THEMSELVES IN THE LANDSCAPE AND URBAN FORESTRY INDUSTRY Richard Humphreys Landscape Architect and Arborist 806 W. Roosevelt St. Baton Rouge, LA 70802 This is really quite an honor for me to be asked to address the 34th Annual Louisiana Forestry Symposium, especially since I am not a forester. However, a few aspects of my work are seen in forest environments. I am licensed as a landscape architect and as a arboriculturalist and have an ornamental and turf pesticide license that allows me to treat diseases of landscape plant materials. My work often includes developments on wooded sites, where some of the existing trees will be retained, or correcting prob­ lems that are occurring with landscape plant materials. Unlike forestry situations, where the concern is for the cultivation of a great many trees as cost efficiently as possible. My concern is for only one or a few plants, and cost is less important. Many of the plants that I work with have been cul­ tivated over a long period of time and represent considerable effort and expense. This makes them unreplaceable and precious as a site amenity. Unfortunately, arboriculture in this urban-suburban context of small lots and intense land use has not kept pace with forestry and horticulture in it's development of new methods. I suspect that this is due in part to the fact that commercial arboriculture is a service industry. Therefore, it does not generate a crop and product/profit from which research funds can be drawn. Obviously forestry and general horticulture practices have been adapted to arboriculture, and have given us solutions to some of the problems that we see. But what do I do? As an arborist, I am a technician. I take my client's disease problems to one of the forest experts at the extension service, and they recommend a treatment. However, the disease problems are often only the aftermath to environmental conditions that cannot be corrected by the time the damage is apparent. Often I find that I am being asked to correct a problem rather than prevent one, and to treat a symptom rather than a cause. The complex types of environmental stresses that occur today exacerbate the forest and horticulture diseases that we see in the urban context. As a result the arboriculture industry needs a more diverse "tool box" to deal with these problems, and to a certain extent we have found one. The following items are some of the developments that have helped us to expand our capabilities. P.P.D or People Pressured Diseases.— This concept is the recognition that the stress that occurs to trees as a site is developed can cause their decline. This concept when viewed with a broader scope can open a wide list of potential stresses to consider including such diverse items as: the stresses caused by restricted root zones, as in garage top planters; the effects of air, water or soil pollution; or, the effects of artificial heat and light sources, such as from reflective surfaces, heat pumps and other types of equipment. These are only a few of an endless list of items that our technological culture imposes on the plant world. Notice that these problems are not of a biotic nature. Yet in their milder forms these stresses can weaken a host plant to 2 the point that various biotic disease problems will develop. In this situation treating the pest problem is treating a symptom, not a cause. This broad concept of P.P.D. points to a possible solution. Now, growers and landscape designers must recognize not only the plants best adapted to a microclimate in the traditional sense of soil, light, temperature and water compatibility but also consider artificial stresses and develop and use species that show superior tolerances to these various stresses.