Rating the Susceptibility of Stands to Southern Pine Beetle Attack

G.N. Mason - Research Coordinator, IPM RD&A Program for Bark Beetles of Southern Pines,
P.L. Lorio, Jr. - Project Leader and Supervisory Soil Scientist, Forest Insect Research, USDA Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station, Pinesville, LA,
R.P. Belanger - Principal Silviculturist, USDA Forest Service, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station, Athens, GA, and
W.A. Nettleton - Entomologist, Forest Pest Management, USDA Forest Service, Southern Region, State and Private Forestry, Pineville, LA.

Integrated Pest Management Handbook, USDA, Forest Service, Agriculture Handbook No. 645, April 1985.

Selecting a Rating System

The southern pine beetle stand rating systems currently available were developed from similar site, stand, and tree measurement data, and employed similar analytical and interpretive procedures. Selection of a rating technique for a specific geographic or physiographic region depends largely on the general availability of a system, the landowner's management objectives, the input requirements of the system, and the willingness and ability of the user to collect necessary input data. All models have been evaluated in the areas specified. The "best" model for a specific area is the model that the user has the most confidence in for application and for which input data is most easily obtained.

Many systems are available for rating SPB hazard across the South (Appendix). Some of these systems have been selected by Federal, State, and industrial foresters for use in specific geographic locations and have been applied more broadly than others that may have been developed for use in the same area. For the sake of consistency with current application and user acceptance, only those seven models that are currently in use are recommended and summarized in the following section.

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