Photos - Douglas-fir Beetle (left) and western spruce budworm (right) - serious pests in eastern Idaho in 2006
(click on photos for larger view)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Insects and diseases play an important role in maintaining the health and vitality of Idaho’s forests. Under normal circumstances these organisms recycle dead trees to the forest floor providing nutrients to the next generation of trees. Drought, fire exclusion and poor management practices have created stressful conditions that are favorable to extensive outbreaks of forest pests, tipping this balance. If threats from native pests were not enough, Idaho faces serious risks from exotic pests such as gypsy moth and white pine blister rust.

Additional Information

• 2007 North Idaho Douglas-fir Tussock Moth Pheromone Trapping Report (Report No. IDL 07-2; December 2007)
• Briefing Paper Update - Bark Beetle Mitigation Projects in Eastern Idaho (2007)
• Bark Beetle Brochure - Are Your Trees at Risk? (2.28 MB PDF)
• USDA Forest Service 2006 Idaho Forest Health Highlight

Our Mission

The mission of the forest health program is to provide technical service, training and financial assistance designed to minimize insect and disease risk and hazard. We define risk as the probability that a given stand will become infested with a specific pest. The intensity of damage is a measure of hazard. In terms of bark beetles, hazard increases as stands age and density increases.

Forest Health Activities

Forest health should be the primary focus of the best management of forest lands. Healthy forests produce a wealth of services, including timber, water and air quality, wildlife, resiliency to fire and recreation. The program focuses on three core activities: Prevention, Suppression and Restoration.

• Prevention is the best means to ensure your forest can withstand stress and subsequent pest infestation. Treatments having a prevention focus result in reduction of risk and hazard; thinning dense stands, applying preventative chemical barriers, pruning and favoring existing tree species most resistant to forest pests are good examples.
  
  
• Suppression activities are used to mitigate existing outbreaks. Treatments typically include removing infested trees and killing insects and diseases with chemicals.
  
  
• Restoration activities are used to re-establish species to a site that was ravaged previously by pest outbreaks. Planting is the most common treatment used in restoration efforts.