Long-term efficacy of diameter-limit cutting to reduce mountain pine beetle-caused tree mortality in a lodgepole pine forest

2015 ◽  
Vol 91 (04) ◽  
pp. 444-456
Author(s):  
J.C. Vandygriff ◽  
E.M. Hansen ◽  
B.J. Bentz ◽  
K.K. Allen ◽  
G.D. Amman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Timber Harvest ◽  
Susceptible Host ◽  
Term Efficacy ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
Lodgepole Pines

Mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, is the most significant mortality agent in pine forests of western North America. Silvicultural treatments that reduce the number of susceptible host trees, alter age and size class distributions, and diversify species composition are considered viable, long-term options for reducing stand susceptibility to mountain pine beetle-caused tree mortality. Short-term efficacy of thinning treatments has been evaluated, but long-term efficacy has not. We evaluated mountain pine beetle-caused lodgepole pine mortality in 2008, ∼28 years after diameterlimit cutting from above that removed the largest diameter lodgepole pines in a Wyoming, USA forest. Following extensive recent mountain pine beetle activity, the partially-cut stands had significantly less mountain pine beetle-caused tree mortality compared to untreated reference stands. These results are similar to observations five years post-treatment, albeit using different reference stands because the original controls were lost to timber harvest. The original management objective was reduced mountain pine beetle-caused tree mortality, and this objective was achieved, lasting for up to 28 years. Despite the reduced mortality among partially-cut stands, however, untreated and treated stands had similar densities of residual live mature lodgepole pine and those in untreated stands had larger average diameters.

scholarly journals How does water yield respond to mountain pine beetle infestation in a semiarid forest?

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 4681-4699
Author(s):  
Jianning Ren ◽  
Jennifer C. Adam ◽  
Jeffrey A. Hicke ◽  
Erin J. Hanan ◽  
Christina L. Tague ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Hydrologic Model ◽  
Water Yield ◽  
Driving Mechanisms ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
Interannual Climate Variability ◽  
Hydrologic Responses

Abstract. Mountain pine beetle (MPB) outbreaks in the western United States result in widespread tree mortality, transforming forest structure within watersheds. While there is evidence that these changes can alter the timing and quantity of streamflow, there is substantial variation in both the magnitude and direction of hydrologic responses, and the climatic and environmental mechanisms driving this variation are not well understood. Herein, we coupled an eco-hydrologic model (RHESSys) with a beetle effects model and applied it to a semiarid watershed, Trail Creek, in the Bigwood River basin in central Idaho, USA, to examine how varying degrees of beetle-caused tree mortality influence water yield. Simulation results show that water yield during the first 15 years after beetle outbreak is controlled by interactions between interannual climate variability, the extent of vegetation mortality, and long-term aridity. During wet years, water yield after a beetle outbreak increased with greater tree mortality; this was driven by mortality-caused decreases in evapotranspiration. During dry years, water yield decreased at low-to-medium mortality but increased at high mortality. The mortality threshold for the direction of change was location specific. The change in water yield also varied spatially along aridity gradients during dry years. In wetter areas of the Trail Creek basin, post-outbreak water yield decreased at low mortality (driven by an increase in ground evaporation) and increased when vegetation mortality was greater than 40 % (driven by a decrease in canopy evaporation and transpiration). In contrast, in more water-limited areas, water yield typically decreased after beetle outbreaks, regardless of mortality level (although the driving mechanisms varied). Our findings highlight the complexity and variability of hydrologic responses and suggest that long-term (i.e., multi-decadal mean) aridity can be a useful indicator for the direction of water yield changes after a disturbance.

scholarly journals Evaluating Potential Fire Behavior in Lodgepole Pine-Dominated Forests after a Mountain Pine Beetle Epidemic in North-Central Colorado

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 101-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer G. Klutsch ◽  
Mike A. Battaglia ◽  
Daniel R. West ◽  
Sheryl L. Costello ◽  
José F. Negrón
Keyword(s):  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Crown Fire ◽  
Tree Species Composition ◽  
Surface Fire ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
Fuel Characteristics

Abstract A mountain pine beetle outbreak in Colorado lodgepole pine forests has altered stand and fuel characteristics that affect potential fire behavior. Using the Fire and Fuels Extension to the Forest Vegetation Simulator, potential fire behavior was modeled for uninfested and mountain pine beetle-affected plots 7 years after outbreak initiation and 10 and 80% projected tree fall using measured and projected fuel and stand characteristics. Under 90th percentile weather conditions, uninfested plots exhibited proportionally more crown fire than infested plots. Plots predicted to have crown fire were composed mainly of nonhost conifer species and had a lower and more continuous canopy than infested plots. Where surface fire was predicted to occur, live lodgepole pine was the only conifer present, and plots had significantly lower tree mortality from fire than plots predicted to have crown fire. Mountain pine beetle-induced changes in stand and fuel characteristics resulted in increased intensity of surface fire behavior. Furthermore, with 80% infested tree fall, potential smoke production was predicted to be higher. Tree species composition of stands pre and postbark beetle outbreak is important when identifying mountain pine beetle-caused changes to potential fire behavior.

Carbohydrate allocation and mountain pine beetle attack in girdled lodgepole pines

1986 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 1036-1040 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. H. Miller ◽  
A. A. Berryman
Keyword(s):  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Soluble Sugars ◽  
Lower Trunk ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
Pine Trees ◽  
Lodgepole Pines

Healthy lodgepole pine trees (Pinuscontorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm.) were girdled on the lower trunk in patterns designed to selectively eliminate the influence of materials transported from the roots, lateral tissues, and crown. Titres of soluble sugars and starch observed in areas isolated by girdling were significantly lower than those observed in areas open to the upper bole and crown. Corresponding decreases were observed in the numbers of Dendroctonusponderosae Hopkins attacking those areas.

scholarly journals Subwatershed-Level Lodgepole Pine Attributes Associated with a Mountain Pine Beetle Outbreak

Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 552 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howard Williams ◽  
Sharon Hood ◽  
Christopher Keyes ◽  
Joel Egan ◽  
José Negrón
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Mortality Data ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
Pinus Spp

Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins; MPB) is an aggressive bark beetle that attacks numerous Pinus spp. and causes extensive mortality in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon; LPP) forests in the western United States and Canada. We used pre-outbreak LPP attributes, cumulative MPB attack severity, and areal extent of mortality data to identify subwatershed-scale forest attributes associated with severe MPB-caused tree mortality that occurred across the Northern Rockies, USA from 1999–2014. We upscaled stand-level data to the subwatershed scale to allow identification of large LPP areas vulnerable to MPB. The highest mortality occurred in subwatersheds where LPP mean basal area was greater than 11.5 m2 ha−1 and LPP quadratic mean diameter was greater than or equal to 18 cm. A coarse assessment of federally-owned LPP-dominated forestland in the analysis area indicated about 42% could potentially be silviculturally treated. Silvicultural management may be a suitable option for many LPP forests, and our hazard model can be used to identify subwatersheds with LPP attributes associated with high susceptibility to MPB across landscape spatial scales. Identifying highly susceptible subwatersheds can help prioritize general areas for potential treatments, especially where spatially extensive areas of contiguous, highly susceptible LPP occur.

scholarly journals Surface Fire Intensity Influences Simulated Crown Fire Behavior in Lodgepole Pine Forests with Recent Mountain Pine Beetle-Caused Tree Mortality

2013 ◽  
Vol 59 (4) ◽  
pp. 390-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chad M. Hoffman ◽  
Penelope Morgan ◽  
William Mell ◽  
Russell Parsons ◽  
Eva Strand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Pine Forests ◽  
Fire Intensity ◽  
Crown Fire ◽  
Surface Fire ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle

A New Formulation and Reduced Rates of Carbary for Protecting Lodgepole Pine from Mountain Pine Beetle Attack

1987 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 114-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J. Shea ◽  
Mark McGregor
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
Pine Trees ◽  
Large Scale Field ◽  
Lodgepole Pines ◽  
New Formulation

Abstract A large-scale field experiment was conducted on the Flathead National Forest, Montana, to evaluate the efficacy of 0.5%, 1.0%, and 2.0% formulations of Sevimol® and Sevin brand XLR® for protecting individual lodgepole pines (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm.) from attack by mountain pine beetles (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopk.). All concentrations and formulations were highly effective (>95%) in protecting lodgepole pine trees from lethal attack by mountain pine beetle for 1 year, and the 1% and 2% concentrations were effective (>90%) for 2 years. West. J. Appl. For. 2(4):114-116, October 1987

EMERGENCE OF IPS PINI AND HYLURGOPS POROSUS (COLEOPTERA: SCOLYTIDAE) FROM DUFF AT THE BASE OF LODGEPOLE PINES (PINACEAE) KILLED BY MOUNTAIN PINE BEETLE (COLEOPTERA: SCOLYTIDAE)

1999 ◽  
Vol 131 (6) ◽  
pp. 825-827 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Safranyik ◽  
D.A. Linton ◽  
T.L. Shore
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Dendroctonus Ponderosae ◽  
Ips Pini ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
Lodgepole Pines ◽  
Root Collar

Lodgepole pines, Pinus contorta var. contorta Engelmann, killed by mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, are often subsequently infested by other scolytid species (Safranyik et al. 1996). Ips pini (Say) breeds in the phloem region of the main bole and larger branches in areas not occupied by mountain pine beetle. Adults emerge in the fall and drop to overwinter in the duff near the bases of their brood trees (Safranyik et al. 1996). Hylurgops porosus (LeConte) infests lodgepole pine (Keen 1952; Bright 1976) stumps or severely weakened trees near the root collar and in large roots (Wood 1982). We examined the pattern of emergence of I. pini and H. porosus from the duff around infested trees to describe changes in density over distance from the trees.

scholarly journals Characteristics of forest legacies following two mountain pine beetle outbreaks in British Columbia, Canada

2015 ◽  
Vol 45 (10) ◽  
pp. 1387-1396 ◽  
Author(s):  
René I. Alfaro ◽  
Lara van Akker ◽  
Brad Hawkes
Keyword(s):  
British Columbia ◽  
North America ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Tree Mortality ◽  
Stand Structure ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle

The mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera, Curculionidae), a native insect of North America, periodically reaches population sizes that cause serious economic impact to the forest industry in western North America. The most recent outbreak in British Columbia (BC), Canada, which began in the late 1990s, is only now (2015) abating, after causing unprecedented tree mortality in lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex. Loudon) forests. In this paper, we make use of permanent research plots to report on the condition of lodgepole pine forests in the Chilcotin Plateau of central BC, which underwent two fully documented mountain pine beetle outbreaks. In this region, the first outbreak started in the late 1970s and lasted until the mid-1980s; the second outbreak began in the early 2000s and ended in 2010. We measured the impacts of these outbreaks in terms of tree mortality and describe the characteristics of the legacies that remain following these outbreaks, including survivors in various canopy layers and levels of existing and new regeneration. We provide evidence in support of the existence of postdisturbance legacies that classify into five distinct stand structure types. Abundant regeneration and surviving intermediate canopy layers in most stands indicate that management actions to restock pine stands in this area will not likely be necessary. The information provided by this study is important for estimating future forest development and timber supply and for forest planning and management.

scholarly journals Gallery success, brood production, and condition of mountain pine beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) reared in whitebark and lodgepole pine from Alberta, Canada

2016 ◽  
Vol 46 (4) ◽  
pp. 557-563 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evan D. Esch ◽  
David W. Langor ◽  
John R. Spence
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Mountain Pine Beetle ◽  
Lodgepole Pine ◽  
Whitebark Pine ◽  
Brood Production ◽  
Female Body Size ◽  
Sequence Of Events ◽  
Mountain Pine ◽  
Pine Beetle ◽  
Lodgepole Pines

Breeding pairs of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) were introduced into freshly cut bolts of whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis Engelm.) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm. ex S. Watson) in the laboratory. Brood adults emerging from the bolts were collected and galleries were dissected to compare reproductive success, brood production, and adult condition between the two pines. Beetles were more likely to establish egg galleries that produced brood in lodgepole pine than in whitebark pine. Larval gallery density per centimetre of egg gallery was significantly higher in whitebark pine than in lodgepole pine; however, egg galleries also tended to be shorter in whitebark pine bolts, and consequently, brood adults emerging production per gallery did not differ between the two host species. Female body size, mass, and fat content of brood adults and survival from larva to adult did not differ between beetles reared in the two hosts. Though this no-choice assay did not simulate the sequence of events occurring during host selection, these results are consistent with other data suggesting that beetles could be less likely to attack whitebark pines in southwestern Alberta. Whitebark pines that are attacked will produce brood in similar numbers and condition as those from lodgepole pines.

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