 Timberland Management
Pest Management Services
Growing timber can be very risky business. Unpredictable weather events and fire can be devastating to a crop of timber. Aside from these calamities destructive agents such as insects, diseases and even pollution can have impacts that are just as destructive.
Numerous insect species that cause damage to trees and forests are periodically subject to cyclical fluctuations in population densities. Injuries caused can be negligible or the damage can be catastrophic when populations reach epidemic proportions. Often the damage may not be immediately apparent but the stress associated may provide the opportunity for other agents to capitalize upon an opportunity and inflict damage. Sometimes it may not so much be the actual attack of the insect that causes the damage but the pathogen that the insect introduces into the tree that causes the damage.
Tree disease problems are usually associated with some other stress factor upon the forest such as those caused by droughts, early frosts, insects, fungi and adverse site impacts related to poor logging practices. Diebacks and declines are complex diseases that share a common type of cause and effect relationship that differentiates them from other types of disease. They are initiated by adverse environmental factors that create stress and often culminate in lethal attacks by organisms that are otherwise not harmful. Often times however visible damage from atmospheric pollutants can be mistaken for disease since symptom complexes can be similar.
There are many pollutants that exist in our atmosphere. The effects of which can be widespread or localized near their source. Though some minor pollutants have been shown to have local effects there are only a few that have been demonstrated to cause significant injury to forest trees. Ozone, Sulfur Dioxide and Hydrogen Fluoride are the most prevalent gaseous pollutants within our atmosphere. The damage caused to trees by these agents can be either acute or chronic, the symptoms of which are usually visible as foliar damage such as pigmentation or chlorosis.
Catastrophic damage to a crop of timber from unpredictable weather events, fire, insects, disease and even pollution can be difficult if not impossible to prevent. However there are practices that can be carried out which can help prevent, mitigate or drastically reduce impacts from these agents.
The best way for any stand of timber to fight off potential threats from insects and disease and resist damage from wind, ice, or fire is to maintain a healthy and vigorous forest. A key factor in doing this is to minimize stress. Properly thinned stands designed to promote and emphasize growing space upon the most desirable trees will often enable individual stems to resist damage from wind and ice as well as ward off stresses caused by insect attacks and droughts. As well, conducting harvesting operations in an appropriate fashion when ground and weather conditions are most suitable will prevent unnecessary damage to the soil, root systems and stems of residual trees thus minimizing impact and undue stress upon the residual timber.
Implementation of an Integrated Pest Management Program is probably the best way to lessen the potential of damaging agents within a wood-lot. Such a program involves obtaining a clear understanding of the potential risks, developing a system of periodic monitoring, orienting forest management practices to reduce those risks and developing a plan of action to address critical situations should they occur.
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