Why have southern pine beetle outbreaks declined in the southeastern US with the expansion of intensive pine silviculture? A brief review of hypotheses

FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT

卷:391

Review

Asaro, Christopher¹  Nowak, John T.²  Elledge, Anthony² 

[1] US Forest Serv, USDA, Forest Hlth Protect, 1720 Peachtree Rd,NW,Suite 850, Atlanta, GA 30309 USA

[2] US Forest Serv, USDA, Forest Hlth Protect, 200 WT Weaver Blvd, Asheville, NC 28804 USA

关键词: Southern pine beetle;    Outbreak history;    Intensive silviculture;    Forest management;    Pine plantations;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.foreco.2017.01.035

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

The southern pine beetle has shown a dramatic decline in outbreak activity over much of the southeastern United States since the turn of the 21st century compared to previous decades. Concurrently, from the 1950s through the present day, a twenty-fold increase in pine plantation area has occurred across the region while trends in genetic tree improvement and pine silvicultural advances have seen a marked increase in application towards the end of the 20th century. We examine southern pine beetle outbreaks in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain physiographic provinces of the southeastern U.S. relative to this increase in pine plantation area and intensive management. While climate and natural enemy hypotheses are discussed, the substantial changes to the management and condition of the southern pine resource in the form of plantations that are genetically improved, younger, faster growing, less overstocked or more fragmented may provide a more robust explanation for regional declines in SPB outbreak activity. Published by Elsevier B.V.

【 授权许可】

Free