For about 15 years, the state’s most destructive forest insect has been lying low in South Carolina. But damage caused by recent droughts, storms and wildfires raises the specter of a resurgence.
Sizable infestations of southern pine beetles have been few and far between since the last major outbreak in 2000-2002, when the tiny but voracious creatures caused about $1.5 billion in damage in the southeastern United States to loblolly, shortleaf, longleaf, pitch, pond and Virginia pines. But with most of South Carolina’s current crop of pine trees now stressed by weather-related catastrophes in recent years, the potential for statewide infestation has taken a step in the wrong direction.
Though the risk of a major outbreak in the state remains unlikely due to low numbers of southern pine beetles overall, the possibility is viable enough to at least spur a need for vigilance. As always, when it comes to the health of trees, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
“The populations of southern pine beetles tend to be cyclical and vary by region,” said Carolyn Dawson, a Clemson Cooperative Extension area forestry agent based in the Upstate. “When stress conditions are widespread, the potential for these populations to increase becomes a legitimate concern. By no means am I saying that it’s panic time. But for anyone who owns stands of pine, it would be wise to be on the lookout for signs of (beetle) activity, especially when the weather warms up in 2017.”
There are more than 13 million acres of timberland in South Carolina comprising about 67 percent of the state’s total land area. South Carolina’s trees are split about 50-50 between pine and hardwood types. But pines are the region’s most valuable to grow and harvest, with pine plantations — defined as stands of pine that are intensely managed, harvested and replanted — representing 25 percent of the state’s timberland but producing 50 percent of the timber cut each year. With these figures in mind, it’s easy to recognize how a major infestation of southern pine beetles, which only attack pines and a few other softwoods, could inflict significant economic damage.
From South Strand News: https://www.southstrandnews.com/community/southern-pine-beetles-loom-as-potential-threat-to-stressed-trees/article_4518c72a-b7e3-11e6-89c8-23a1d5fdf0ba.html