Texas A&M Forest Service partners advance new approach for managing southwestern pine beetle
A collaborative research project between Texas A&M Forest Service and partners across the country found a new approach for reducing tree mortality from southwestern pine beetles, a bark beetle affecting ponderosa pine forests in West Texas.
Texas A&M Forest Service, the USDA Forest Service Pacific Southwest Research Station, The Nature Conservancy, the University of California, Davis and ISCA Technologies recently published in the Journal of Economic Entomology addressing a forest health challenge affecting one of Texas’ most unique ecosystems.
“The southwestern pine beetle has been a destructive pest to ponderosa pine for decades,” said Demian Gomez, Texas A&M Forest Service regional forest health coordinator. “Finding new management tools to help save the species is vital to keep the ecosystem thriving.”
The project focused on the Davis Mountains Preserve in West Texas, a 32,844-acre landscape managed by The Nature Conservancy that contains the southernmost distribution of ponderosa pine. These trees are an important part of the ecosystem and support a variety of wildlife species.
The area has faced challenges from drought, wildfire and bark beetle impacts that have declined ponderosa pine populations over the past several decades. Researchers evaluated whether a semiochemical-based treatment could provide land managers with another tool to help protect vulnerable trees. Semiochemicals are chemical signals insects use to communicate with each other or find suitable trees. Researchers evaluated whether specific compounds could be used to discourage southwestern pine beetles from attacking trees.
The treatment works by using compounds that signal to beetles that a tree has already been colonized, discouraging additional attacks. Unlike traditional chemical treatments, the approach uses targeted compounds placed directly on trees rather than a spray applied across an area or a tree injection.
“It’s not a chemical that you spray or inject, making it easier in some situations to use across larger areas,” said Gomez. “It’s a little packet that you can put on the tree, and you’re able to protect those trees.”
The research included multiple experiments over several years, beginning with trapping studies before moving to field trials on ponderosa pine trees. Researchers found the treatment reduced tree mortality in treated areas, demonstrating its potential as an additional management tool for protecting ponderosa pine.
Along with Gomez, Texas A&M Forest Service’s Camille Wiseman, woodland ecologist; Jayme Trainer, woodland ecologist; and Erin Davis, program coordinator, were among the publication’s authors, assisting with the years-long field studies.
Researchers will continue evaluating the treatment and exploring how it can be applied in the future. Additional work will focus on determining the amount of treatment needed to provide effective protection across larger areas.
“If we can reduce impacts significantly, that could be a good tool, particularly in areas where we have natural regeneration and want to protect those trees producing seed,” Gomez said.
The publication highlights how partnerships can bring together expertise across organizations to develop practical, science-based solutions for protecting Texas forests.
Read the full research publication:
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