Washington Dept. of Natural Resources 2003 FH Highlights

Washington Forest Health Issues in 2003

Washington Forests General Forest Conditions	Insects Fir Engraver Pine Bark Beetles Citrus Long-horned Beetle Western Spruce Budworm Douglas-fir Beetle Spruce Beetle Douglas-fir Tussock Moth Western Hemlock Looper Gypsy Moth Other Defoliators
Aerial Survey Overview Survey Results
Animal and Abiotic Drought Fire Bear Damage
Diseases Sudden Oak Death Swiss Needle Cast White Pine Blister Rust

Overview

General Data Information

The Washington Department of Natural Resources and USDA Forest Service strive to help landowners identify and manage forest insect and disease problems.

An annual aerial sketchmapping survey is key to monitoring forest insect and disease activity levels across the state. The aerial sketch-mapping survey is flown at 90-120 mph about 1,500 feet above ground level.

Two observers (one on each side of the plane) look out over a two-mile swath of forestland and mark either on a digital touch screen or on a paper map any recently killed or defoliated trees they see.

survey plane flying over a forested area; photo by WA DNR

They then record a code for the agent that likely caused the damage (usually inferred from the size and species of trees and the pattern or " signature" of the damage) and the number of trees affected. No photos are taken.

The results are then made available to interested landowners as maps, electronic data, and summary reports.Covering nearly all of Washington's forests with the aerial survey costs only about 1/3 of a cent per acre (that's three acres for a penny!).

These maps and reports produce excellent trend information and historical data. Moreover, they represent a great tool for a quick look at what could be going on in your neck of the woods.

survey maps almost as soon as they are flown! Just go HERE and click on the map you want to view. These pages can take one to several minutes (depending on your connection speed) to load because they are memory intensive. From there you can plot out the entire map or you can zoom into an area of particular interest and hit Alt+Print Screen. Then, open up a graphics friendly program such as Paint or Word, paste it in, and print it out on a field-handy sheet of paper. This resource can provide timely information for current season pest evaluations and forest management work.
For cartographers or GIS users, this data is available as:

bugzncrudXX at /database/covers on UNIX or at
Snarf/database/covers from the Citrix Server

More historical data going back to 1980 is also available if desired.

Some Speculation

Several key factors will influence forest susceptibility to insects and diseases in the next few years in eastern Washington. Forests are generally overstocked with too much fir and not enough drought tolerant pine. These conditions stress host trees and make them more susceptible to pathogens. Additionally, the mild winter weather of the last several years increases the winter survival rate of insect pests.

Populations of bark beetles thrive in drought years.
Populations of the western spruce budworm appear to be rising in some of eastern Washington’s forests.
Populations of the Douglas-fir tussock moth will likely remain low statewide.

Disclaimer

Aerial observers are familiar with forest trees, insects and diseases. They are trained to recognize various pest signatures. There is always at least one observer in the plane who has three or more years of sketchmapping experience. Observers attend several training sessions, including one just prior to the start of the season, where observations made by each observer are compared with those of other observers and then checked on the ground. Additionally, observers talk about what they are seeing with each other and the pilot as they go along.
However, it is very challenging to quickly and accurately identify and record damage observations. Aerial survey does not allow much time for second-guessing or second chances. Mistakes occur. Sometimes the wrong pest is identified. Sometimes the mark on the map is off target. Sometimes damage is missed. Our goal is to correctly identify and accurately map within ¼ mile of the actual location at least 70% of the time. Ground checking and landowner feedback generally indicate excellent success at detecting major occurrences of insect and disease activity. Please provide us feedback if you encounter errors or have problems obtaining the maps or data.

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