1. Invasives in Georgia….
Threats to
Forest Health
in Georgia
Jeff Kastle
Forest Health
Forester
Georgia Forestry
Commission
2. Invasives and Other Forest Health Issues in Georgia….
Jeff Kastle
Forest Health
Forester
Georgia Forestry
Commission
3. Forest Health Management
Forest Health Coordinator – Chip Bates
Forest Health Specialist:
Mark McClure - Southwest Georgia
Lynne Womack – North Georgia
Chris Barnes – East Georgia
Forest Health Technicians:
Jim Sullivan
Scott Cameron
Reggie Morgan
4.
5. Forest Health Management
Monitoring Activities
Southern Pine Beetle Activity
•
Spring Trapping (annual prediction) & Aerial
Monitoring
Gypsy Moth Trapping
Emerald Ash Borer Trapping
Monitor for Sudden Oak Death Pathogen
6. Forest Health Management
Other Activities
Cogon Grass
• If discovered, Forest Health personnel will
treat the spot at no cost to the landowner. This
usually requires a minimum of three annual
visits
7. Forest Health Management
Other Activities
Hemlock Wooly Adelgid
• Georgia Forestry Commission rents
soil injectors
Brief History
• Native of southeast Asia
• Accidentally introduced in 1924
10. What IS An Invasive?
ANY Plant or Animal that has been
introduced.
11. What IS An Invasive?
ANY Plant or Animal that has been
introduced and aggressively competes
with and displaces local native
communities.
12. What IS An Invasive?
ANY Plant or Animal that has been
introduced and aggressively competes
with and displaces local native
communities.
Normally having No Natural Enemies
to limit reproduction and spread.
29. Chinese Privet
•Imported in 1852
•Planted as an ornamental
•Adapts well to many sites
•Aggressive invasive species
30. Chinese Privet
• By far one of the most invasive species in
Georgia
• Colonizes low wet areas readily
• Spread easily by wildlife (birds)
• Forms dense thicket walls
• Shades and out competes with many native
species and once established, is very
difficult to remove
31. Chinese Privet
Control
• Because privet is an evergreen, winter time is a
great time to target this species
• Not much else is green during this time
• Very few other things will be harmed by foliar
active herbicides like glyphosate (ex. Round-up)
• Most common prescription is a 2% - 5% solution
rate of 41% active ingredient products of
glyphosate applied evenly over the shrub
32. Chinese Privet
• Great example of why invasive species need to be
controlled
• Without control they have the potential to
dominate sites and push out native species
• Reduce the native bio-diversity
42. • Southern Bark Beetle •
•
– Prediction Survey
– Aerial Bark Beetle
•
Survey
•
• Hemlock Woolly
•
Adelgid
•
• Laurel Wilt Disease
•
• Early Detection Rapid
•
Response
•
• Sudden Oak Death
• Annosum Root
Disease
Cogongrass
Chinese Tallowtree
Japanese Climbing Fern
Chinese Privet
Exotic Wood Borers
Emerald Ash Borer
Gypsy Moth
Trifoliate Orange
Tree of Heaven
43. 3 Main Types
of Pine Bark
Beetles
Ips species (3)
Southern Pine Beetle
Dendroctonus frontalis
Black Turpentine Beetle
Dendroctonus terebrans
44. Southern Pine Beetle
• Without question, has the potential to cause the most
damage to timber (more than any other single disease
or insect)
• Historically, we have very little damage in South
Georgia
• Normally a major problem in North Georgia
• Damage goes in cycles
55. Our global economy….
The port of Savannah and the Atlanta airport have the potential to
bring in many non-native species.
56. The Port of Savannah…
1994
550,000 Containers
2009
2.36 million Containers
2010
2.82 million Containers
2011
2.93 million Containers
(Projected Growth)
2015
4.37 Million Containers
Homeland Security – Customs and Border Protection
71. • Hemlock Woolly Adelgid • Exotic Wood Borers
• Chinese Tallowtree
• Emerald Ash Borer
• Southern Pine Beetle
• Gypsy Moth
• Sudden Oak Death
• Trifoliate Orange
• Heterobasidion Root
Disease
• Tree of Heaven
• Chinese Privet
72.
73. QUESTIONS ?
Jeff Kastle
Forest Health Forester
1055 E. Whitehall Road
Athens, Ga. 30605
GATREES.org
Office: 706.552.4450
E-mail: jkastle@gfc.state.ga.us
Notes de l'éditeur
Always remember to check the fact when someone tells you something “DO NOT TAKE THEIR WORD ON IT!”
Let the audience answer the question for you…
What is an invasive… Let the answers come from the audience.
An invasive MUST “AGGRESSIVELY COMPETE AND DISPLACE” native species…. This takes the “Feeling and Emotion” out of what is and invasive.
The enemies in the Invasives’ homeland are not present here.
Let the audience answer the question for you…
Kudzu – The poster child of invasives …. What happens when you let Wisterial go native?
If you want to get in trouble… go to a “Blue Hair” Garden club and tell them that the State Flower of Georgia is an INVASIVE!
The problem with this plant is it has a beautiful fall color and pretty little berries in the fall.
We had to have a way to take the emotion and feeling out of “What is an Invasive Species”? Make a note of the total acres of invasives that we predicted in 2009- 500,000 Acres
Revised List for 2013 - It Did Not Change many Species but the numbers exploded! And the percent change is dramatic over a two year period
Instead of 500,000 acres we now are looking at 2.2 Million acres of invasives across the state of Georgia.
There was an average 14% increase in invasive plants in a two year period.
The Poster Child of Invasives!
Is this guy ambitious or just stupid?
This is the one invasive that almost everyone know. Privet can be found from Florida to Tennessee and is the most aggressive invasive I know.
Birds eat it, Then Poop, A small plant comes up (How can this be a problem?) and then you have a wall of privet. Easily treated with Glyphophosate 2 – 5 percent rate. Winter time is a great time to treat.
This is beginning to be one of our fastest growing problems across Georgia. It is now found from North to South Georgia.
How can a small “Little” fern be a problem?
Covers like Kudzu
With a little wind… None of us wants to be in this. A huge fire hazard!
It may not take too long for it to become a middle and north Georgia problem through the movement of pine straw mulch.
Sometimes our Native Insects are a problem! Southern Pine Beetle.
Three Ips , Southern Pine Beetle(The Smallest and most destructive) and Black Turpentine Beetle. (IPS and SPB carry Blue Stain – Black Turpentine does not)
We begin trapping when the Dogwoods begin Blooming.
It Is Not Rocket Science. We trap the Southern Pine Beetles and the Predator Beetles. If there are more predators that SPB we predict a good year. If there are more SPB than predators it could be a bad year.
Clerid Beetle - Preditor
We also perform Aerial Bark Beetle Surveys. Normally on August or Septemeber.
1,100 acres lost to Southern Pine Beetle in 2012 in South Georgia due to the landowner not listening to advice to thin the stand.
Our Global Economy is also bringing in Invasives… The increase in commerce is good, but we have to be vigilant to find the invaders.
New Cranes at the port of Savannah. Arrived in the summer of 2013. These are huge see the two men at the top of the crane?
It is the Solid Wood Packing Material that we see these invaders coming in on.
Composit materials are definitely making things better. This pressed board and composite material make it impossible for insects to hitch a ride.
First introduced in 2002 – Redbay Ambrosia Beetle Quickly spread. North South and West.
Well over 7,00,000 acres of Redbay and Sassafras has been killed in Georgia and it is still spreading. This Infestation will go all the way to Michigan befor it stops. There is NO WAY to control or stop this beetle. What if this had been Oak or Pine????
Take your pick… There are a load of bad things out there. Our Forest Health Team is working together to make Early Detection and then a Rapid Response to control and eradicate these pests before they become a problem in the state.