Mountain pine beetles: A century of knowledge, control attempts, and impacts central to the Black Hills

Graham, Russell T.; Asherin, Lance A.; Battaglia, Michael A.; Jain, Terrie B.; Mata, S. A.

doi:10.2737/rmrs-gtr-353

Cited by 22 publications

(25 citation statements)

References 105 publications

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“…Ponderosa pine mortality from pathogens, animals, insects, weather, and wildfire varies over space, time, and intensity in the Black Hills (Graham et al 2016;Shepperd and Battaglia 2002). Although most historical mortality information is descriptive, these observations indicate that disturbances have always shaped the character of the Black Hills forests.…”

Section: Approach Understanding Disturbance and Tree Mortalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Black Hills have experienced MPB epidemics periodically somewhere on the Forest approximately every 20 years, with notable events in the early 1900s, the late 1960s to the early 1980s, and the most recent epidemic from 2000 through 2017 (fig. 4; Graham et al 2016;Lessard et al 1987;Thompson 1975). Ponderosa pine tree susceptibility to MPB is related to stand density and tree diameter (Graham et al 2016;Negrón et al 2008).…”

Section: Mountain Pine Beetlementioning

confidence: 99%

“…4; Graham et al 2016;Lessard et al 1987;Thompson 1975). Ponderosa pine tree susceptibility to MPB is related to stand density and tree diameter (Graham et al 2016;Negrón et al 2008). Mountain pine beetles can attack pole-sized ponderosa pine trees but prefer sawtimber-sized trees (Graham et al 2016;Negrón et al 2008;Negrón et al 2017;Schmid et al 2007).…”

Section: Mountain Pine Beetlementioning

confidence: 99%

“…From 1960 through 1999, it is estimated that MPB killed 5,733,550 ponderosa pine trees (Graham et al 2016;Lessard et al 1987). During this period, insect mortality contributed 0.03% to the total mortality rate (table 1).…”

Section: Mountain Pine Beetlementioning

confidence: 99%

“…These high volumes provided forested stand and landscape conditions that were classified at moderate to high hazard for MPB and wildfire (USDA FS 2013). In addition, results from long-term and recent studies across the BHNF showed that current high stand densities were susceptible to MPB and needed to be lowered across the landscape (Graham et al 2016;Negrón et al 2008;Negrón et al 2017;Schmid et al 2007). During this same time period, the BHNF started to experience an MPB epidemic (fig.…”

Section: Introduction the Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A scenario-based assessment to inform sustainable ponderosa pine timber harvest on the Black Hills National Forest

Graham

Battaglia

Jain

2021

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Since 2000, the Black Hills National Forest (BHNF) has experienced several disturbances that have reduced standing live sawtimber volume which will affect future harvest levels. To evaluate options concerning the future timber management program, we conducted a quantitative analysis to determine how mortality from these disturbances and potential growth rates will impact short-, mid-, and long-term sustainable sawtimber harvest levels of ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa var. scopulorum Dougl. ex Laws.). In 2019, there was 5,995,428 CCF (hundreds of cubic feet) standing live ponderosa pine sawtimber within the suitable timberlands. The current harvest level in the BHNF Forest Plan of 181,000 CCF/yr is not a sustainable option. Over the next several decades, if mortality rates stay below 1.04%, harvest levels of 72,400 and 90,500 CCF/yr appear to be sustainable if all suitable timberlands are available for harvest. History shows that allowing the forest to recover after large disturbances provides opportunities to adjust future harvest levels. Also, tending of young forests can promote recovery and produce sawtimber volume more quickly.

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Section: Approach Understanding Disturbance and Tree Mortalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mountain Pine Beetlementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mountain Pine Beetlementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Mountain Pine Beetlementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introduction the Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A scenario-based assessment to inform sustainable ponderosa pine timber harvest on the Black Hills National Forest

Graham

Battaglia

Jain

2021

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Restoration and fuel hazard reduction result in equivalent reductions in crown fire behavior in dry conifer forests

Ritter

Hoffman

Battaglia

et al. 2022

Ecological Applications

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Over the past several decades, the management of historically frequent-fire forests in the western United States has received significant attention due to the linked ecological and social risks posed by the increased occurrence of large, contiguous patches of high-severity fire. As a result, efforts are underway to simultaneously reduce potential fire and fuel hazards and restore characteristics indicative of historical forest structures and ecological processes that enhance the diversity and quality of wildlife habitat across landscapes. Despite widespread agreement on the need for action, there is a perceived tension among scientists concerning silvicultural treatments that modify stands to optimally reduce potential fire behavior (fuel hazard reduction) versus those that aim to emulate historical forest structures and create structurally complex stands (restoration). In this work, we evaluated thinning treatments in the Black Hills National Forest that exemplify the extremes of a treatment continuum that ranges from fuel hazard reduction to restoration. The goal of this work was to understand how the differing three-dimensional stand structures created by these treatment approaches altered potential fire behavior. Our results indicate that restoration treatments created higher levels of vertical and horizontal structural complexity than the fuel hazard reduction treatments but resulted in similar reductions to potential crown fire behavior. There were some trade-offs identified as the restoration treatments created larger openings, which generated faster mean rates of fire spread; however, these increased spread rates did not translate to higher levels of canopy consumption. Overall, our results suggest that treatments can create vertical and horizontal complexity desired for restoration and wildlife habitat management while reducing fire hazard and that they can be used in concert with traditional fuel hazard reduction treatments to reduce landscape scale fire risk. We also provide some suggestions to land managers seeking to design and implement prescriptions that emulate historical structures and enhance forest complexity.

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Transitioning western U.S. dry forests to limited committed warming with bet‐hedging and natural disturbances

Baker

2018

Ecosphere

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Historical evidence suggests natural disturbances could allow more forest persistence, than expected from models, over 40 yr of transition to the net‐zero emissions needed to limit warming to <2.0°C (e.g., Paris Agreement). Forests must ultimately equilibrate with committed warming from accumulated emissions. Historical dry‐forest landscapes were heterogeneous from large, infrequent disturbances (LIDs) that reduced tree density and basal area, followed by slow, variable tree regeneration and recovery for 1–3 centuries. These together effectively provided bet‐hedging through stand‐ and landscape‐level heterogeneity that enhanced resistance and resilience to a diversity of unpredictable subsequent disturbances. Recent disturbances have not yet exceeded historical variability in rates and patterns, but could cause mortality of ∼26–51% of dry‐forest area in the transition. This also means 1/2 to 3/4 of dry‐forest area could escape most mortality and the mortality area could also have substantial forest persistence. Projections are unavailable for droughts or beetle outbreaks, but they recently caused about 3–4 times as much tree mortality as did moderate‐ to high‐severity fires. Mortality could reduce forest area if new trees do not regenerate, but 24 studies showed recent regeneration after high‐severity fires was slow, but indistinct from historical variability. Survival of smaller trees provided regeneration after beetle outbreaks and droughts. Regeneration in general was projected by 2060 to decline by ∼10% in one study and increase by 50% in another. If openings from disturbances increased, some grasslands and shrublands could be restored, increasing landscape heterogeneity and resistance to disturbance spread. Given these trends and our limited ability to prevent LIDs, I suggest (1) refocusing restoration to increase bet‐hedging resilience to droughts and beetle outbreaks by retaining small trees and diverse tree species, (2) expanding development of fire‐safe landscapes to protect people and infrastructure from unavoidable increased fire, (3) enabling more managed fire to restore and enhance stand‐ and landscape‐scale bet‐hedging, and (4) accepting that LIDs will revise resistance, resilience, and adaptation, which enhance forest persistence, particularly if post‐disturbance survivors are not logged and trees are not planted. Natural disturbance and slow recovery, if bet‐hedged to increase resistance and resilience, could enable substantial forest persistence.

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Mountain pine beetles: A century of knowledge, control attempts, and impacts central to the Black Hills

Cited by 22 publications

References 105 publications

A scenario-based assessment to inform sustainable ponderosa pine timber harvest on the Black Hills National Forest

A scenario-based assessment to inform sustainable ponderosa pine timber harvest on the Black Hills National Forest

Restoration and fuel hazard reduction result in equivalent reductions in crown fire behavior in dry conifer forests

Transitioning western U.S. dry forests to limited committed warming with bet‐hedging and natural disturbances

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