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Beetle Kill in the Upper Chewaucan
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Beetle Kill from Bald Butte
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Beetle Status
300000+ acres currently infested
Plots in upper Chewaucan appear static
No changes from 2007 to 2008 Beetles appear to be moving:
North: Thompson Reservoir area
South/west: Bly Area South/east: Lower Chewaucan
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Characteristics of Beetle KilledTrees
50% of all trees
50% Lodgepole/ 30% Ponderosa if mixed forest
PinCon diameter larger than 8.3 in
(average DBH 18in)PinPon smaller than 30cm (12in) or old growth in
dense stands or marginal areas
Average Basal Area of dead lodgepole around 80
BA of area before beetle kill >150
Fastest growing trees targeted
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Characteristics of beetle infestedand healthy trees in stands
Comparison of beetle infested and uninfested lodgepole pine
18.3
53
8.9
45
0.0
10.0
20.0
30.0
40.0
50.0
60.0
DBH(in) Height(ft)
Infested lodgepole
Living Lodgepole
Comparison of beetle infested and uninfested lodgepole pine
0.57
6.45
0.46
7.1
0
1
2
3
4
56
7
8
CR (%) MCW (ft)
Infested lodgepole
Living Lodgepole
Comparison of beetle infested and uninfested lodgepole pine
14.6
38.4
16.0218.9
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
Rings/cm Moisture %
Infested lodgepole
Living Lodgepole
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Characteristics of Unaffected Trees
50% of all trees (around 150 trees per acreunaffected- smaller trees)
Lodgepole DBH< 8.9in, Height16in, Height>50ft
BA = 70 to 80 after beetle kill
(composed of small trees 3 inches survive (Ponderosa)
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Miscellaneous Observations
Soil Moisture Low around live trees and high aroundinfected trees (Dying trees stop releasing moisture alsoin preferred (best sites) Lodgepole
Cambium moisture higher in dying trees than live trees,and low in dead trees (Healthy fast growing lodgepoleare selected)
Uninfected trees generally had no beetle holes indicatingthey were targeted differently than the infected trees.(Large surface area of largest lodgepole appears tocause beetles to release pheromones attracting more
beetles) Infected trees had an average of 4.3 beetles holes per
square foot
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Beetle Entry
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Affects on Old Growth Ponderosa
Thick bark next to cambium of healthytrees keeps beetles from reachingcambium over several years.
Beetles burrow 3-4cm in a year feeding onpitch tubes in puzzle bark. It takes 3 yearsfor a beetle to reach cambium at that rate.
Bark tends to slough as pitch source isreduced reducing the distance to cambiumfor next wave of beetles
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Old Growth Pine
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Thin Bark on Infected Ponderosa in
Marginal Areas
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Currier Springs
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Currier Springs
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Rock Springs
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Rock Springs
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South Fork of Sycan River
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Lee Thomas Turnoff
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Lee Thomas Turnoff
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Ingram
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Campbell Lake Turnoff
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Campbell Lake
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Downed Wood Summary Values
stand species DBHq AveDBH TPA AveHt TBA SDI CurtisRDTVolPerA
cre
Campbell OT 13.3 12.45 113.3 56.3 109.26 179 30 6559.9
CurrierS OT 11.92 10.66 84.61 47.7 65.56 112.1 19 4893.8
Ingram OT 13.85 13.32 49.21 70.6 51.49 83 13.8 4027.8
LeeThom OT 15.92 15.64 39.48 71.9 54.59 83.3 13.7 4268.6
RockSp OT 9.76 9.51 99.63 42.2 51.78 95.9 16.6 1677.1
SFSycan OT 11.04 10.95 37.85 38.5 25.18 44.4 7.6 1264.8
Avg/Acre Lodgepole 12.6 12.1 70.7 54.5 59.6 99.6 16.8 3782.0
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Beetle Kill Aftermath
Most snags (DBH
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Fire potential
Very high in snag stage 400+ stems per stand
50% dead / 90% largest trees dead
Ladder fuels
5 to 20 years?
Very high in jackstrawed stage 50+ stems on ground rotting
100+ jackstrawed dry stems 20 large snags to carry fire to canopy
5 to 50 years?
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Fire results
70% extremely hot over 90% of area All vegetation destroyed
Dead, living, regenerating trees
Majority of soils bisked
Mt. Mazama ash soils bisked at
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Beetle Proofing?
Beetles appear to prefer large lodgepole
Beetles appear to leave when large lodgepole densities inthe stand are low (BA 40 60)
Beetles appear to move through a stand quickly when the
basal area of large lodgepole is 30 or less regardless ofoverall stand density
Beetles take 3 or more years to kill large Ponderosa andappear to play an important role in forest recovery
(Reduce density of large lodgepole and manage forstratified stands)
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