[ Return to FHP Southern Region ]

Forest Health Highlights - 2000

North Carolina

The North Carolina Division of Forest Resources provides forest health protection assistance to state and private land managers within the State.  The State and the USDA Forest Service Forest Health Protection unit fund this program cooperatively.

North Carolina Forest Facts

• Over 55% of North Carolina is forested (more than 19.2 million acres).
• Almost 90% of forested acreage in North Carolina is privately owned.
• The National Forests in North Carolina (1.1 million acres) provide recreational and wildlife benefits as well as forest products and jobs for thousands of people.
• The southern pine beetle (SPB) is North Carolina’s most significant forest insect pest.  1999 & 2000 activity occurred in the western piedmont and mountain counties.  The year 2000 ended with 1,951 SPB infestations in 32 counties, with population levels classified as epidemic in 16 of these counties.  SPB activity is likely to increase in the mountain counties because of drought stress, but is declining in the western piedmont in 2001.
• In 2000, gypsy moth eradication and slow the spread activities were carried out on 5 sites covering a total of 5,302 acres.  Intervention tactics were – aerial applications of the, pheromone flakes (a gypsy moth mating disruption technique).  Delimiting trapping was also conducted statewide.  Treatment is planned on 2 sites in 2001, covering 1,140 acres in the STS area.  No statewide treatments planned.
• Forest tent caterpillar (FTC) was first recognized as a serious bottomland hardwood defoliator along the Roanoke River in northeastern North Carolina in 1997.  Acres defoliated has increased from 25,000 in 1997 to 60,000 acres completely defoliated in 2000.  No treatments are planned, but studies are still going to determine the effects of defoliation on water quality.  We anticipate FTC population levels to increase in 2000.
• Dogwood anthracnose is a disease that occurs in the forest environment at higher elevations and in cool moist areas. The disease is currently found in 29 counties within the State and is causing significant mortality to the native dogwoods.  Permanent impact plots were established in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s and are visited annually.  The 2000 visit revealed that dogwood anthracnose has killed 53.8% of the native dogwood trees in 24 western counties (covering 2.4 million acres), an 8.1% increase over 1999.

North Carolina Division of Forest Resources and USDA Forest Service

In spite of the relatively good health of North Carolina’s forests, a variety of insects and diseases (both native and introduced), and human-caused impacts such as air pollution, continue to threaten the State’s resources.  To deal with this constantly changing mix of challenges, the North Carolina Division of Forest Resources and the Forest Health Protection unit of the USDA Forest Service cooperate to prevent, detect, suppress and manage this multitude of threats.  The partnership between the two agencies has worked for three decades to maintain and improve the health of North Carolina’s forests. 

For additional information, contact:

North Carolina Dept. of Environment & Natural Resources
Division of Forest Resources
1616 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-1616

(919) 733-2162 (ext. 256)
email: don.rogers@ncmail.net
http://www.dfr.state.nc.us/protecting/pest_control.htm

(or)

USDA Forest Service
Forest Health Protection
P.O. Box 2680
Asheville, NC 28802-2680

(828) 257-4317
E-Mail: Asheville Field Office
http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/foresthealth