Seed Orchard

BACKGROUND

• Tree Improvement and Intensive Forestry
  
  • South is the "wood basket" of the US - 58% of US timber supply in 1997
    
    • Intensive forestry - in 1998 - 2.06 million acres regenerated with 1.25 billion seedlings - from 10,000 acres of seed orchards
      
    • Seed orchards - genetically improved seed - from extensive breeding and progeny testing
      
      • Growth gain over wild "woods run" seed - 10 to 30% over unimproved planting stock
        
      • Seed crop - extremely valuable - net present value of genetic gain and future growth
        
    • Regeneration - major investment - site prep, planting, survival counts, fertilization, weed control
      
  • Implications of Tree Improvement and Intensive Forestry
    
    • More wood and fiber produced on same area
      
      • Meet increasing demands for growing population
        
      • Simultaneously reduce environmental impact of industrial forestry
        
      • Benefits to local and regional economies
        
    • Reduced dependence on imported wood
      
    • Reduced risk of exotic pest introductions - plant, insect and disease species
      
    • Increased productivity benefits "natural" forests - less pressure to provide fiber from USDA NFS
      
  • Federal (USDA Forest Service) Seed Orchards
    
    • No longer intensively managed - but still producing needed seed for Southern Region
      
    • Longleaf and shortleaf pine seed harvested in "bumper crop" seasons
      
    • Produce seedlings for restoration of "historical" longleaf sites and shortleaf restoration
      
  • Major Insect Pests - cause major losses to seed production and plantation growth
    
    • Seed and Cone Insects
      
      • Coneworms - four species - Dioryctria amatella, D. clarioralis, D. disclusa, D. merkeli
        
      • Seed bugs (Hemiptera) - two species - Leptoglossus corculus and Tetyra bipunctata
        
    • Regeneration Insect
      
      • Nantucket pine tip moth - Rhyacionia frustrana
        
  • The "Pesticide Dilemma"
    
    • Genetically improved seed - high value - low damage threshold - pesticides required
      
    • But, small acreage treated - low quantities of pesticides used
      
      • Pesticide companies unwilling to maintain registrations and register new products for seed orchards
        
    • Increased regulation and restriction by EPA for pesticides - Food Quality Protection Act
      
  • The Tree Improvement Community
    
    • The Seed Orchard Pest Management Subcommittee (SOPMS)
      
      • Subcommittee of the Southern Forest Tree Improvement Committee
        
      • Members from USDA FS (SRS and FHP) entomologists, Tree Improvement Cooperative geneticists, Industry and State entomologists
        
    • Coordinates issues concerning seed orchard and regeneration integrated pest management
      
    • Deals with the "Pesticide Dilemma"
      
      • Works with USDA Office of Pesticide Regulation and EPA on pesticide registration issues
        
      • Coordinates field tests and South-wide studies

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

• What is Working?
  
  • FHP plays critical role in tree improvement and intensive forestry in the South - FHP people involved: IPM Specialist (Taylor), Entomologist (Mangini) and Biological Tech (Bruce)
    
  • Partnerships
    
    • Seed Orchard IPM
      
      • Taylor and Mangini members of SOPMS - work on seed orchard IPM
        
      • Western Gulf Forest Tree Improvement Cooperative - Texas Forest Service
        
      • Western Gulf Forest Pest Management Cooperative - Texas Forest Service
        
      • North Carolina State University Industry Tree Improvement Cooperative
        
      • University of Florida Tree Improvement Cooperative
        
      • USDA Forest Service - Southern Research Station
        
      • USDA Forest Service - Erambert, Ouachita and Stuart Seed Orchards
        
      • USDA Office of Pesticide Registration
        
      • Environmental Protection Agency
        
    • Tip Moth IPM
      
      • Taylor involved in tip moth IPM - University of Georgia and industry
        
• FHP Role
  
  • Technical Assistance - single most important job we do
    
    • Resource for federal seed orchards
      
      • Monitor longleaf pine sources at Stuart Seed Orchard
        
      • Provide yearly inventories of cone crop and level of insect-caused loss
        
    • Answer questions: insect identification, pesticide labels, spray schedules, monitoring
      
    • Mangini and Taylor - updates to meetings of Cooperatives
      
      • Update Cooperative members on pesticide registration issues and research findings
        
      • One-on-one interaction with orchard managers
        
    • FHP is uniquely suited to providing this technical assistance
      
      • FHP staff are independent of industry, state and Cooperative ties - no conflict of interest
        
      • Coordinate between SRS and university researchers and orchard managers
        
  • Technology Development and Transfer
    
    • FHP participates in South-wide pesticide efficacy tests sponsored by SOPMS
      
      • FHP provides entomological expertise
        
      • FHP coordinates and participates in training - including occasional IPM training workshops for seed orchard managers throughout the South
        
    • FHP cooperates with Southern Research Station on coneworm and seed bug research
      
    • Mangini and Bruce - small-scale pilot tests of new pesticides
      
      • Conducted solely with program dollars in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005
        
      • Efficacy of new pesticides, pesticide combinations and rates: growth regulators, nicotinoids, low-rates of pyrethroids
        
      • Established efficacy of Mimic - growth regulator now widely used in orchards
        
    • Taylor - tip moth IPM
      
      • Cooperation with University of Georgia and industry
        
      • Testing of new attractant/pesticide combinations
        
    • Taylor - Dislodgeable Residue Study - data for EPA registration requirements
      
  • Coordination Between EPA and Tree Improvement Community
    
    • Provide data for continued registration of pesticides
      
    • Expertise on label and application requirements
      
• FHP Staffing and Budget
  
  • Sufficient for current work load - one dedicated Entomologist and one Biological Science Tech
    
    • Both Mangini and Bruce available for other Field Office duties if necessary
      
    • Additional help available as needed from Alexandria Field Office Personnel
      
  • Professional assistance for seed orchard work available from Asheville Field Office when needed
    
  • FHP aerial lift/bucket truck recently overhauled and in good condition

CONCLUSION AND THE FUTURE

• A small, but very important part of FHP in the Southern Region
  
• One of the best programs for cooperative efforts, technology transfer
  
• Major impact on forestry in the South - with potential national and global impacts
  

FHP Contact:

Alex Mangini
USDA Forest Service
Forest Health Protection
2500 Shreveport Highway
Pineville, LA, 71360
318-473-7296
amangini@fs.fed.us

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USDA Forest Service - Forest Health Protection, Southern Region
Last Modified: Monday, 14 January 2013 at 09:40:57 EST