Former US Forest Service Chief Mike Dombeck gives report his "highest recommendation" and calls it "the most useful publication on the topic of forests and forest pests that I have seen."
Portland, OR - On October 5, 2005 the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation released an 88-page report and compilation of research summaries that dispels many commonly held misconceptions about forest insect pests.
Logging
to Control Insects: The Science and Myths Behind Managing Forest Insect
"Pests." A Synthesis of Independently Reviewed Research
includes a review of relevant studies on the importance of insects to
forest function and the effectiveness of methods used to control forest
"pest" insects, and a compilation of summaries of over 150 scientific
papers and Forest Service documents.
Key findings in the report include:
- Native forest pests have been part of our forests for millennia and function as nutrient recyclers; agents of disturbance; members of food chains; and regulators of productivity, diversity, and density.
- Fire suppression and logging have led to simplified forests that may increase the risk of insect outbreaks.
- Forests with diverse tree species and age classes are less likely to develop large insect outbreaks.
- There is no evidence that logging can control bark beetles or forest defoliators once an outbreak has started.
- Although thinning has been touted as a long-term solution to controlling
bark beetles, the evidence is mixed as to its effectiveness.
Please click here to see our most recent press release on this report.
Please click here to download a PDF of our 88-page report. To purchase a hard copy, please download and complete an order form and mail it with $15.00 to the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation. For credit card purchases, please call our office (503-232-6639).