gov beetle kill

7/31/2019 Gov Beetle Kill

1/29

Beetle Kill in the Upper Chewaucan


2/29

Beetle Kill from Bald Butte


3/29

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


4/29

Characteristics of Beetle KilledTrees

50% of all trees

70% Lodgepole/ 30% Ponderosa if mixed forest

PinCon larger than 20cm (6in)

PinPon smaller than 30cm (12in) or old growth indense stands or marginal areas

Lodgepole Basal Area > 150

Fastest growing trees

Crown Ratios >40%

Crown Widths 15 feet


5/29

Characteristics of Unaffected Trees

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

Lodgepole DBH< 10in, Height18in, Height>50ft BA = 40 to 60 after beetle kill Dense wood, repressed trees survive

(Lodgepole) Crown ratio=


6/29

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


7/29

Currier Springs


8/29

Currier Springs


9/29

Cummins Creek


10/29

Beetle Entry


11/29

Old Growth Pine


12/29

Affects on Old Growth Ponderosa

Thick bark next to cambium of healthy treeskeeps beetles from reaching cambium overseveral years.

Beetles burrow 3-4cm in a year feeding on pitch

tubes in puzzle bark. It takes 3 years for abeetle to reach cambium at that rate.

Trees in marginal areas have thin bark coveringthe cambium at the V junction and can be killed

in 1 year Dense stands of understory or stocking of largetrees over 30 trees per acre become stressedand prone to beetle infestation


13/29

Thin Bark on Infected Ponderosa


14/29

Rock Springs


15/29

Rock Springs


16/29

South Fork Sycan


17/29

South Fork of Sycan River


18/29

Lee Thomas Turnoff


19/29

Lee Thomas Turnoff


20/29

Ingram


21/29

North of Ingram


22/29

Campbell Lake Turnoff


23/29

Campbell Lake


24/29

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


25/29

Beetle Kill Aftermath

Most snags (DBH


26/29

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?


27/29

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


28/29

Recommendations

Uneven age ecosystem and regeneratedseedlings worth preserving Well stocked with trees 4 10 inch DBH

Meets recommended BA of 40 sq. ft / acre

Good number of trees > 40 ft tall Well stocked with seedlings < 10 ft tall

Divide areas into similar units within watershedsand separate with 100m boundaries Fire restricted to a small area (500 acres) Will create a diverse mosaic over time that will be

more resistant to beetle infestations and catastrophicfire


29/29

Beetle Proofing?

Beetles appear to prefer large lodgepole

Beetles appear to leave when standdensities are lower (BA 40 60)

Beetles take 3 or more years to kill largePonderosa

(Reduce density of large lodgepole andmanage for stratified stands)

gov beetle kill

Documents