Why Forest Health?University of Florida

Institute of Food & Agricultural Sciences4-H Youth Development Institute

Dr. Ed BarnardForest Pathologist & SupervisorForest Health ProgramFlorida Division of Forestry

Healthy Forests Provide• Fresh Air• Clean Water• Wildlife• Wood• Recreation

Commodity, Economic and Ecosystem Values

Private Forests = Public Benefits

Defining Forest Health• Two perspectives (Kolb et al. 1994)

– Utilitarian, Economic-based• production

– Ecosystem-based• sustainability, biodiversity, function, resiliency

• Society of American Foresters (Helms 1998)

– “The perceived condition of a forest derived from concerns about such factors as its age, structure, composition, function, vigor, presence of unusual levels of insects or disease, and resilience to disturbance…”

Confusion -• “…perception and interpretation of forest health are

influenced by individual and cultural viewpoints, land management objectives, spatial and temporal scales, the relative health of the stands that comprise the forest, and the appearance of the forest at a point in time”– (SAF – Helms 1998)

● Tree Health vs. Forest Health

● These are NOT the same things.

Dead, Dying and “Sick” Trees Are or Provide …

• Recycled Carbon & Nutrients

• Soil Stabilization• Water Retention• Microbe Niche/Habitat

– Mycorrhizal Fungi• Wildlife Food• Wildlife Habitat

Wood Decay and Wildlife Habitat

LocallyRed Cockaded Woodpecker

andRed Heart of Pines

A Forgotten and/or Underemphasized RealityImportant When Discussing and Analyzing Forest Health

PBS and National Geographic?

U.S. Forest Summary Since 1900

• Forest Land Area has Stabilized• Acreage of wildfire is down 90%• Forest Growth Exceeds Harvest• Average Timber Volume per Acre in the

East has Risen 33% since 1952• Reforestation @ Record Levels• Recreational Use @ All-Time High

Threats to Our Forests• Fragmentation (Ownership, TIMO’s, REIT’s)• Land Loss to Urban Encroachment (Pub)• Inability to Manage (esp. Prescribed Fire)• Climate Change?• Abiotic Influences (Air Pollution, CAFO’s,

etc.)• Biotic Threats (insects, diseases, weeds)

A Moral Issue?• 1 million acres/year lost to “development”• Land developed per person is on the rise.• Function of population and affluence.• Increasing Demand• Demand = need + want

– We rarely make the distinction.• Generally: Meet the demand as opposed to

reduce the demand.

A Moral Issue?• Average American household down from 4.5

persons (1915) to 2.6 persons today.

• Average size of American homes continues to rise (983 sq. ft. in 1950; 2349 sq. ft. today; a 140% increase in 50 years)

CAFO’s

Tunnel Ventilation

“GROUND ZERO”

Similar Issues –• Brewery wastewater (PC –

Jacksonville)• Industrial wastewater (PC – Milton)• Aerosols from Chemical Plants (PC –

Gainesville)• Air Pollutants (ozone,SO2, NOx, etc.)

Fire in the Forest

• Politics• Sociology• Fire Maintained Sub-Climax Ecosystems

Biotic Issues• Native Insects & Disease Organisms

– Respond to forest conditions & management– Do not possess potential to eliminate species or

permanently alter ecosystems– Economic/Management Issues

• Non-Native Biotic Threats (“Foreigners”)– Possess potential to eliminate species or

permanently alter ecosystems– Threaten species existence– Threaten ecosytem integrity and function

Some Examples…

Mountain Pine BeetleDendroctonus ponderosae

Overmature,Drought Stressed,Overcrowded,Poorly managed,Lacking harvest.

Cousin to our Southern PineBeetle; D. frontalis Consequence of emotional

response to misinformation?

Chestnut Blight:American chestnut: once 25% of eastern forest80% mortality of species from Maine to Alabama (40-50 years)3.5 Billion trees; losses = $82.5 Million (1912 – NC, WV, PA)Genetic Resistance (Decades and Dollars)

Emerald Ash Borer:15 Million Trees, 40,000 square miles

MI, IN, OH, MD, Ontario AND MORE

Hemlock Wooly Adelgid

>80% hemlocks in Shenandoah NP DEADWhen this slide was made!

Laurel Wilt Disease – Since 2002/2004

Local Issues – “Weeds”Serious Impacts

Cogongrass A Serious, Threatening, and Costly Menace

The Costs of Non-Natives

• c. 50,000 species of plants, microbes, and animals introduced into U.S.

• 400 insects, 24 pathogens: 9 of 18 serious pests in last 35 years (established in forests)

• Total $$$ damage – 79 species/85 years (1906-1991) = $97 billion (Office of Tech. Assessment)

• Recent: “Control” = $137 billion/year?• USDA-APHIS: $41billion/year plus millions

of taxpayers $$$ in ‘control’

Some Costs: USFS, R-8 FHP (2001-2010)(Non-Native/“Exotic” Forest Pests)

• Sirex Wood Wasp: $750,000• Gypsy Moth (STS, Supp. Erad.): $9,800,000• Emerald Ash Borer: $1,050,000• Laurel Wilt/RAB: $600,000• EDRR (Exotic Bark Beetles): $1,035,000• Sudden Oak Death Survey: $1,585,000• NNIP’s: (all elements inc. ARRA) $13,000,000• Hemlock Wooly Adelgid: $15,500,000• TOTAL: $43,320,000

Costs of Forest Health Programs

• USFS – CFHP – FY ‘08 = $122.5 million• USFS – Research FY ‘08 = $290 million• $420 million spent on ALB, EAB, SOD

since 1997• TNC “request” USFS ‘10 = $433 million

In Conclusion• Forest Health is a huge societal issue.

Not just a professional matter.• Without healthy forests, what happens to air,

water, wood products, wildlife, recreation, etc.?

• Dealing wisely with the issue involves an informed public, social and political commitment, intelligent decision-making, and a heavy dose of ethics.

• This important message needs to be communicated and understood.