Re: RC: Trail closure/SPB

[RDCARRIE@aol.com]

Hi,
I workmfor the U.S. Forest Service in E. Texas.  We're not having SPB 
(Southern Pine Beetle) problems right now, but have in years past.  They're 
kinda cyclic - there will be a number of years with few or no beetle 
infestations, then they start to build up, and seem to peak every 7-9 years 
or so.  We actually haven't had them bad here in E. TX since the early 90s, 
and there's been almost no SPB here for the past several years.  I understand 
that they've been eating Alabama and Kentucky up pretty bad for the past 
couple of years, though.
As for trail rerouting - I would imagine that any closures/rerouting would be 
temporary.  When there's an SPB epidemic, the only way to stop them (and if 
it's a bad epidemic, even this might not stop them) is to cut the infested 
pines.  Depending on the time of year, the pines might be cut and hauled away 
to mills, or could just be cut and left (cut-and-leave only works during the 
very hot months - the beetle larvae bake to death in the heat).  Most times 
the trees are hauled off to mills to get the beetle larvae out of there.  
During an epidemic, large areas may be affected by either cut-and-remove or 
cut-and-leave treatments.  All personnel are involved in the effort, and it's 
just not possible to take time to reroute trails while all of this is going 
on.  That's why you're probably seeing closures.  We've even sent some of our 
personnel from Texas to help in Alabama this summer and last year as well.  
The pines that the beetles have already killed, and their larvae have emerged 
from, are often left standing as snags, which can then pose hazards to trail 
users as the limbs and tops start to break off.  Trails may need to be 
rerouted around these patches of snags for safety reasons.  If you're 
concerned about trail closures and/or rerouting, I'd recommend calling the 
Forest Service office and asking them about it.  If you have an organized 
group, I'm sure your efforts would be welcome when it comes time to either 
clear and open the existing trails, or reroute those sections that must be 
rerouted.

Dawn (wildlife biologist in Texas, hoping we don't get a beetle epidemic any 
time soon!)