LSG Beetle Kill

7/31/2019 LSG Beetle Kill

1/31

Beetle Kill in the Upper Chewaucan


2/31

Beetle Kill from Bald Butte


3/31

Beetle Status

300000+ acres currently infested

Plots in upper Chewaucan appear static

No changes from 2007 to 2008 Beetles appear to be moving:

North: Thompson Reservoir area

South/west: Bly Area South/east: Lower Chewaucan


4/31

Characteristics of Beetle KilledTrees

50% of all trees

50% Lodgepole/ 30% Ponderosa if mixed forest

PinCon diameter larger than 8.3 in

(average DBH 18in)PinPon smaller than 30cm (12in) or old growth in

dense stands or marginal areas

Average Basal Area of dead lodgepole around 80

BA of area before beetle kill >150

Fastest growing trees targeted


5/31

Characteristics of beetle infestedand healthy trees in stands

Comparison of beetle infested and uninfested lodgepole pine

18.3

53

8.9

45

0.0

10.0

20.0

30.0

40.0

50.0

60.0

DBH(in) Height(ft)

Infested lodgepole

Living Lodgepole


0.57

6.45

0.46

7.1

0

1

2

3

4

56

7

8

CR (%) MCW (ft)

Infested lodgepole

Living Lodgepole


14.6

38.4

16.0218.9

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Rings/cm Moisture %

Infested lodgepole

Living Lodgepole


6/31

Characteristics of Unaffected Trees

50% of all trees (around 150 trees per acreunaffected- smaller trees)

Lodgepole DBH< 8.9in, Height16in, Height>50ft

BA = 70 to 80 after beetle kill

(composed of small trees 3 inches survive (Ponderosa)


7/31

Miscellaneous Observations

Soil Moisture Low around live trees and high aroundinfected trees (Dying trees stop releasing moisture alsoin preferred (best sites) Lodgepole

Cambium moisture higher in dying trees than live trees,and low in dead trees (Healthy fast growing lodgepoleare selected)

Uninfected trees generally had no beetle holes indicatingthey were targeted differently than the infected trees.(Large surface area of largest lodgepole appears tocause beetles to release pheromones attracting more

beetles) Infected trees had an average of 4.3 beetles holes per

square foot


8/31

Beetle Entry


9/31

Affects on Old Growth Ponderosa

Thick bark next to cambium of healthytrees keeps beetles from reachingcambium over several years.

Beetles burrow 3-4cm in a year feeding onpitch tubes in puzzle bark. It takes 3 yearsfor a beetle to reach cambium at that rate.

Bark tends to slough as pitch source isreduced reducing the distance to cambiumfor next wave of beetles


10/31

Old Growth Pine


11/31


12/31

Thin Bark on Infected Ponderosa in

Marginal Areas


13/31

Currier Springs


14/31

Currier Springs


15/31


16/31

Rock Springs


17/31

Rock Springs


18/31


19/31

South Fork of Sycan River


20/31

Lee Thomas Turnoff


21/31

Lee Thomas Turnoff


22/31

Ingram


23/31


24/31

Campbell Lake Turnoff


25/31

Campbell Lake


26/31

Downed Wood Summary Values

stand species DBHq AveDBH TPA AveHt TBA SDI CurtisRDTVolPerA

cre

Campbell OT 13.3 12.45 113.3 56.3 109.26 179 30 6559.9

CurrierS OT 11.92 10.66 84.61 47.7 65.56 112.1 19 4893.8

Ingram OT 13.85 13.32 49.21 70.6 51.49 83 13.8 4027.8

LeeThom OT 15.92 15.64 39.48 71.9 54.59 83.3 13.7 4268.6

RockSp OT 9.76 9.51 99.63 42.2 51.78 95.9 16.6 1677.1

SFSycan OT 11.04 10.95 37.85 38.5 25.18 44.4 7.6 1264.8

Avg/Acre Lodgepole 12.6 12.1 70.7 54.5 59.6 99.6 16.8 3782.0


27/31

Beetle Kill Aftermath

Most snags (DBH


28/31

Fire potential

Very high in snag stage 400+ stems per stand

50% dead / 90% largest trees dead

Ladder fuels

5 to 20 years?

Very high in jackstrawed stage 50+ stems on ground rotting

100+ jackstrawed dry stems 20 large snags to carry fire to canopy

5 to 50 years?


29/31

Fire results

70% extremely hot over 90% of area All vegetation destroyed

Dead, living, regenerating trees

Majority of soils bisked

Mt. Mazama ash soils bisked at


30/31


31/31

Beetle Proofing?

Beetles appear to prefer large lodgepole

Beetles appear to leave when large lodgepole densities inthe stand are low (BA 40 60)

Beetles appear to move through a stand quickly when the

basal area of large lodgepole is 30 or less regardless ofoverall stand density

Beetles take 3 or more years to kill large Ponderosa andappear to play an important role in forest recovery

(Reduce density of large lodgepole and manage forstratified stands)

Documents

LSG Beetle Kill