Skip to main content
Author(s):
Diana L. Six, Eric Biber, Elisabeth Long
Year Published:

Cataloging Information

Hot Topic(s):
Topic(s):
Fire Ecology
Insects & Disease
Fire & Bark Beetles
Management Approaches
Ecosystem(s):
Montane dry mixed-conifer forest, Subalpine dry spruce-fir forest, Montane wet mixed-conifer forest, Subalpine wet spruce-fir forest

NRFSN number: 13571
Record updated:

While the use of timber harvests is generally accepted as an effective approach to controlling bark beetles during outbreaks, in reality there has been a dearth of monitoring to assess outcomes, and failures are often not reported. Additionally, few studies have focused on how these treatments affect forest structure and function over the long term, or our forests’ ability to adapt to climate change. Despite this, there is a widespread belief in the policy arena that timber harvesting is an effective and necessary tool to address beetle infestations. That belief has led to numerous proposals for, and enactment of, significant changes in federal environmental laws to encourage more timber harvests for beetle control. In this review, we use mountain pine beetle as an exemplar to critically evaluate the state of science behind the use of timber harvest treatments for bark beetle suppression during outbreaks. It is our hope that this review will stimulate research to fill important gaps and to help guide the development of policy and management firmly based in science, and thus, more likely to aid in forest conservation, reduce financial waste, and bolster public trust in public agency decision-making and practice.

Citation

Six, D.L.; Biber, E.; Long, E. 2014. Management for mountain pine beetle outbreak suppression: does relevant science support current policy? Forests. 5(1): 103-133.

Access this Document

Treesearch

publication access with no paywall

Check to see if this document is available for free in the USDA Forest Service Treesearch collection of publications. The collection includes peer reviewed publications in scientific journals, books, conference proceedings, and reports produced by Forest Service employees, as well as science synthesis publications and other products from Forest Service Research Stations.