Presentations from the 2018 Forest Health Insect and Disease Briefing

Are You Label Literate or Are You Just Guessing

Presented by Edward Crow, Pesticide Education Specialist, Penn State Extension, University Park, PA. This presentation covers the basic requirements and concepts regarding the pesticide label. This discussion addresses the specific information that is required by EPA to be on labels. The presentation also addressed the issue of mandatory label language that is enforceable verses advisory language. To help in illustrating and making these Core related concepts more relevant to the audience, examples of specific use directions and restrictions associated with various forest labeled products are used as examples.

Tree Roots- How They Grow and Interact

Presented by David Eissenstat, Professor of Woody Plant Physiology, Penn State University, Department of Ecosystem. Pennsylvania has diverse tree species that use their roots in very different ways. To understand the ecology of tree roots, one must also understand how they interact with their fungal symbionts, an association know as mycorrhizas. In addition to mycorrhizas, tree species also differ widely in their root morphology, in particular their branching intensity and absorptive root diameter. The outcome of the different tree nutrient foraging strategies on forest management is also discussed.

Utilization of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) in Forest Pest Management

Presented by Harold Thistle, Program Manager, Equipment and Application Technologies, USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Assessment and Applied Sciences Team (FHAAST), Morgantown, WV. The USDA Forest Service is now fully invested in the utilization of UAS technology in forest pest management. Obvious applications are in inventory and monitoring through high definition remote sensing. Other applications are in actual release of beneficial insects, high precision pesticide spraying, placement of lures and detailed inspection and collection from tree tops and high limbs. This talk discusses types of UAS, capabilities, restrictions and performance metrics to date.

2018 PA Forest Insect and Disease Update

Presented by Timothy Marasco, Field Operations Supervisor, Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry, Division of Forest Health, Harrisburg, PA. Tim discusses the status of primary insects and diseases impacting Pennsylvania's forests. This includes gypsy moth (and other spring defoliators), hemlock woolly adelgid, emerald ash borer, thousand canker disease, and others. He also addresses the Bureau's suppression, treatment, and monitoring programs as they apply to the various pests discussed.

Discovery and Potential Implications of Spotted Wing Drosophila on the Allegheny Forest Ecosystem

Presented by Scott Stoleson, Research Wildlife Biologist, USDA Forest Service, Northern Research Station, Irvine, PA. The Spotted-winged Drosophila (SWD, Drosophila suzukii), a non-native pest of berry and stone fruit, has spread rapidly across the continent since it first appeared on the West coast in 2008. Unlike native fruit flies, which oviposit on overripe or decaying fruit, SWD has a saw-like ovipositor that enables it to lay its eggs in unripe fruit, and thus prevent full ripening. Although the devastating effects of SWD on commercial fruit production have been well-studied globally, its prevalence and impacts on native forest ecosystems remain virtually unknown. In 2016, we discovered an infestation of SWD in the Allegheny National Forest in two recent timber harvests dominated by wild blackberry (Rubus allegheniensis). As the berries began to ripen, large numbers of fruit flies appeared, and essentially destroyed the entire crop within 2 weeks. A separate study of black cherry (Prunus serotina) seed viability revealed approximately 30% of fruit sampled were found to contain SWD maggots. Considering the importance of both blackberry and black cherry fruits to birds, rodents, bear, fishers and other species, their loss to SWD is likely to have direct impacts on wildlife populations, and perhaps tree regeneration patterns as well.

Manual Herbicide Application Methods

Presented by Jeff Kochenderfer, North Zone Silviculturist, USDA Forest Service, Monongahela National Forest, Cheat-Potomac Ranger District, Petersburg, WV. Controlling undesirable vegetation is a major component of any silvicultrual system involving the management of oaks. It has long been recognized that controlling understory competition before harvest and timely release after harvest are critical to successfully regenerating and retaining oak and other desirable species in future stands. Herbicides are a versatile, cost-effective tool that can be used in a variety of ways to help manage forest vegetation.

James C. Finley Center for Private Forests

Address

416 Forest Resources Building
University Park, PA 16802

James C. Finley Center for Private Forests

Address

416 Forest Resources Building
University Park, PA 16802