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So you have a SPB spot on your land. What do you do now?
First determine if it is a high, medium, or low priority spot.
Higher priority spots are treated first since they have a
greater potential for additional tree mortality than medium- or low-priority
spots. Control decisions depend not only on the priority of the spot, but
also on the availability of crew and equipment, the size and number of trees
or volume of timber in the spot, accessibility, and current market
conditions for beetle-killed timber.
High Priority Spots: Those spots with the
greatest number of SPB-infested trees should be marked for treatment
first. Salvage removal is the preferred treatment. Because of
the dynamic nature of SPB infestations, the time lapse between marking and
cutting should be as short as possible. The longer the time, the
greater the chance that additional trees will be attacked. In the
summer, no more then 4 weeks should elapse between marking and treatment.
Medium Priority Spots: The spots should not be marked
until all high priority spots are treated. If a medium priority spot
is located near a high priority spot, it is advised that the landowner treat
both spots at the same time.
Low Priority Spots: These spots seldom require
treatments. Research has shown that most of them die out, particularly
in the summer. Spots that continue to expand should be detected during
the next SPB survey.
A guide to help classify beetle spot priorities may be
accessed below.
Spot Classification
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