Forest Management and Southern Pine Beetle Outbreaks: A Historical Perspective

The southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis) (SPB) is an eruptive pest of pine forests in the southeastern United States. Numerous studies have been conducted on the relationships among SPB population dynamics, climatic factors, natural enemies, and competitors, but the influence of changes in forest management through time on SPB activity has received little attention. Forest management dictates the configuration and condition of hosts available for SPB populations, whereas suppression has an impact on population levels of SPB and their associates and also affects the area and distribution of the susceptible host type remaining after treatment. In contrast to the frequent and widespread SPB outbreaks in the last half of the 20th century, recent SPB activity in the Southeast has been localized and short-lived. Reports from the mid-1800s through the mid-1900s indicate that outbreaks then were also less common. In this review, we examine how changes in forest management practices have played a significant role in the history of SPB outbreaks.