Southwestern Region

Southwestern Region
333 Broadway SE [map]
Albuquerque, NM 87102
(505) 842-3292
TTY: (505) 842-3198

FOREST HEALTH: Insect and Disease Surveys

Each year during the summer and early fall, aerial surveys are conducted to map forest insect and disease activity in forested areas in Arizona and New Mexico. We use aerial surveys because of the ability to monitor forest health conditions over large areas much more efficiently and economically than other methods. An observer in the aircraft records areas of activity either by drawing the affected area on a map or using a new digital system that incorporates a touch screen and GPS technology (Fact sheet on digital sketch mapping system, PDF, 84 kb). Aircraft used for these flights are typically small high-wing planes such as the Cessna in the photograph to the right. Surveyor from State cooperatoring agencies assist the Forest Service observers in surveying the forests lands.

The surveyor looks for certain characteristics to distinguish the trees species and the type of damage that has occurred . These characteristics or "signatures" include the shape of the crown of the tree, which is used to identify the tree species, and the color of the trees, which indicates the type of insect or disease activity. For example, bark beetles will result in the death of the tree causing the needles to fade in color to a yellow or straw color and then turn red. The photo to the left shows bark beetle mortality. In contrast, defoliators remove some of the foliage, resulting in a stand of trees with a discoloration, such as a gray, red, or yellow tinge.

RESULTS

The results of the aerial surveys are distributed to land managers in the region and used for analysis and summary. Results are summarized as part of our annual forest insect and disease conditions report. Our latest report is available through the following link (see the Forest Health section of our publications page for previous reports).

• Forest Insect and Disease Conditions in the Southwestern Region, 2006 (PDF, 1.75 mb)

Additionally, regional maps of the recent forest insect and disease activity are provided here (PDF format):

• 2006 Map (0.9 mb)
• 2005 Map (1.0 mb)
• 2004 Map (0.9 kb)
• 2003 Map (724 kb)
• 2002 Map (507 kb)
• 2001 Map (1.1 mb)
  

GIS DATA

GIS (Geographic Information System) data containing the results of our New Mexico aerial surveys are available for download.

Please Note:

There are limitations to the use and interpretation of data obtained from aerial detection surveys. Caution should be used in interpreting aerial survey data due to the subjective nature of the surveys and the scale of the mapping. Areas of particular concern should be checked for precise location and damage agent. Depending upon the timing of survey, the entire extent of some insect and disease activity may not have been detected. Intensity of damage is variable, thus not all the trees within a delineated area may be affected. In addition, most diseases cause gradual declines in tree health that are not typically detectable during aerial surveys. A number of damage agents are mapped, not all of which cause tree mortality. Some agents cause other types of damage, such as defoliation, discoloration, top kill or dieback. The type of damage observed is recorded in the attribute table. Please read the metadata before using the data!

Download New Mexico GIS data from the Southwestern R3 GIS library

The Arizona data are not currently available on-line.