new york state's forest health conditions and dec's response
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Forest Health
DEC Forest health Lands and Forests
• Mission: To Conserve, improve and protect New York’s natural resources and environment
WWW.DEC.NY.GOV/LANDS [email protected] 1-866-640-0652 forest health hotline 1-845-256-3111 giant hogweed and invasive plants hotline
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14.45
17.17
18.51 18.5813 18.96
1953 1968 1980 1993 2007
Mill
ion
Acr
es
Inventory Year
All forest land
All forest land
X
1900 less than 10 million acres.
Forested Area 1900 through 2016
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Severe landscape impacts such as erosion and fire lead to public call to protect the state’s forest resources
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Adirondack and Catskill Parks created
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Forested Areas > 5 Acres
30 M acres
19 M acres of forest
Invasive species, climate extremes,
human interventions, evolving
landscapes
New York’s forests are arguably under
greater influence of dramatic and
ecosystem altering effects than anywhere
else The combined effects lead to constant
often dramatic change in forest
structure, composition and perhaps
resiliency
USDA FOREST SERVICE; Sandy Liebhold et al. 2013:
“Most of these pests were introduced in the eastern
half of the United States”
INVASIVE SPECIES THREATS
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Non-Native Forest Pests by County
Detecting Pest and
Pathogens - EARLY
Is the change acceptable?
Are the predictions accurate,
reliable, responsible?
Do we have time to find out?
Is there political will?
Eradicate the pest…..or something else
One-in-ten
EXOTIC INVASIVE SPP.
Firewood with campers
PATHWAYS &
SOURCES
RISK = Introduction + Establishment + Impact
The future is now
or shortly hereafter
Swimming pool filter surveys
Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB)
Not ALB – White spotted
Pine Sawyer – native insect in
NY – not a threat – but can be
confused with ALB Always
black
Always
white
Strategies:
Use early detection and monitoring to determine the
extent of SPB to inform the public and management
efforts
trap in non-infested areas
trap in areas known to be infested to monitor existing
SPB populations
aerial survey to map infestations
ground-based surveys to verify infested trees mapped in
aerial surveys
Stop or slow the spread of SPB to reduce tree mortality
in priority areas
spot suppression will include cutting of infested and
buffer pitch pine
preventive thinning to improve stand health
Restore stands and ecosystems negatively impacted by
SPB
tree replanting in areas SPB has killed trees
EMERALD ASH BORER EXPANSION – 2016
Infested core area increases: from 15% of forested area in 2015 to 30% in 2016
Detection; survey effort is continuous, focused in March/April when pecks visible.
600 panel traps
100 green funnel traps
RESTRICTED ZONES
The giant hogweed
hotline responded
to 2,414 phone
calls and emails.
The giant hogweed
website had
535,516 visits.
Scotia Oakwilt 2008
Statewide initiative developing to establish priorities
More predator releases in target locations
More monitoring
Establishing field insectaries
Citizen science
Cornell collaborations
Balsam Woolly adelgid and balsam mortality
continuing
Critical habitat in preserve areas.
Bicknells thrush
Walnut twig beetle, continue sampling in the 31
priority counties
Northeastern Area Forest Health Protection 2015 Insect & Disease Survey
Summary Table of Acres with Damage*
Type of Damage 2015 Acres 2014 Acres.
Defoliation 3,642,140 1,553,100
Mortality 1,326,880 393,400
Discoloration 323,450 122,700
Branch Flagging 294,040 ---
Dieback 255,260 151,600
Broken Stems/Branches 48,760 80,900
Other/Unknown Damage425,660 46,400
Old Mortality 3,810 8,800
Total 6,320,000 2,356,900
The following maps are for each Type of Damage with additional maps
for
Specific Causal Agents that account for at least 10,000 Acres with
Damage
For more information contact Jim Steinman ([email protected]) DRAFT 12/1/15
* Up to three damages can be reported for the same forested acre
ALL DEFOLIATION 3,642,140 Acres with Defoliation
Northeastern Area Forest Health Protection 2015 Insect & Disease Survey
Wildfire mortality >500 acres
WALNUT TWIG BEETLE
THOUSAND CANKERS OF Juglans
90 sites selected, 30 traps
Diagnostic Laboratory
•Identification of Insects, pathogens & Plants
Forest Health 2016
Forest Tent Caterpillar
Eastern Tent Caterpillar
Winter moth
“Progress is impossible without change,
and those who cannot change their
minds cannot change anything.”
Often a double take is necessary to understand what is going on