Woodpeckers and the Southern Pine Beetle

James C. Kroll - Associate Professor of Forest Wildlife, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Tex.
Richard N. Connor - Research Wildlife Biologist, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Southern Forest Experiment Station, Wildlife Habitat and Silviculture Labratory, Nacogdoches.
Robert R. Fleet - Research Associate in Forest Wildlife, Stephen F. Austin State University.

U.S.D.A. Combined Forest Pest Research and Development Program Agriculture Handbook No. 564

In 1974 the U.S. Department of Agriculture initiated the Combined Forest Pest Research and Development Program, an interagency effort that concentrated on the Douglas-fir tussock moth in the West, on the southern pine beetle in the South, and on the gypsy moth in the Northeast. The work reported in this publication was funded in part by the Program. This handbook is one in a series on the southern pine beetle.

Introduction

Woodpeckers may play an important role in stabilizing forest insect populations, including those of the southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis Zimmerman), the SPB. But to make the most effective use of predation by these birds, we must understand their habitat requirements and interactions with pine beetles. In this handbook, we discuss three primary predator species-downy, hairy, pileated- and one secondary species-red-bellied woodpecker-that prey on SPB. Prior to the twentieth century, the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) may have also been a significant predator of SPB. However, current low population levels have reduced the potential impact of this species on SPB. Habitat requirements and forest management considerations are also discussed. Our information is based on woodpecker responses to and impact on beetle infestations in individual trees.

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