Bark Beetle Demography in a Jeffrey Pine Stand as Influenced by Mechanized Thinning and Prescribed Fire

Fungal and mite associates may drive changes in bark beetle populations, and mechanisms constraining beetle irruptions may be hidden in endemic populations. We characterized common fungi of endemic-level Jeffrey pine beetle (JPB) in western USA and analyzed their dissemination by JPB (maxillae and fecal pellet) and fungivorous mites to identify if endogenous regulation drove the population. We hypothesized that: (1) as in near-endemic mountain pine beetle populations, JPB’s mutualistic fungus would either be less abundant in endemic than in non-endemic populations or that another fungus may be more prevalent; (2) JPB primarily transports its mutualistic fungus, while its fungivorous mites primarily transport another fungus, and (3) based on the prevalence of yeasts in bark beetle symbioses, that a mutualistic interaction with blue-stain fungi present in that system may exist. Grosmannia clavigera was the most frequent JPB symbiont; however, the new here reported antagonist, Ophiostoma minus, was second in frequency. As hypothesized, JPB mostly carried its mutualist fungus while another fungus (i.e., antagonistic) was mainly carried by mites, but no fungal transport was obligate. Furthermore, we found a novel mutualistic interaction between the yeast Kuraishia molischiana and G. clavigera which fostered a growth advantage at temperatures associated with beetle colonization.

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Stem dimensional fluctuation in Jeffrey pine from variation in water storage as influenced by thinning and prescribed fire

Annals of Forest Science ◽

10.1051/forest:2007084 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 65 (2) ◽

pp. 201-201 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Robert M. Fecko ◽

Roger F. Walker ◽

Wesley B. Frederick ◽

Watkins W. Miller ◽

Dale W. Johnson

Keyword(s):

Prescribed Fire ◽

Water Storage ◽

Jeffrey Pine

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Mechanized Thinning, Prescribed Fire, and Needle Age Influences on the Mineral Nutrition of Jeffrey Pine: Elemental Concentrations in Foliage and Soil

Forest Research Open Access ◽

10.4172/2168-9776.1000172 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 5 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Walker RF ◽

Fecko RM

Keyword(s):

Mineral Nutrition ◽

Prescribed Fire ◽

Needle Age ◽

Elemental Concentrations ◽

Jeffrey Pine

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Evaluation of Mechanized Thinning and Prescribed Fire Effects on Long-Term Fuels Accumulations in Uneven-Aged Jeffrey Pine

Journal of Sustainable Forestry ◽

10.1080/10549811.2014.966919 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 33 (8) ◽

pp. 827-859

Author(s):

Shannon L. Swim ◽

Roger F. Walker ◽

Dale W. Johnson ◽

Robert M. Fecko ◽

Watkins W. Miller

Keyword(s):

Prescribed Fire ◽

Fire Effects ◽

Jeffrey Pine

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Blacks Mountain Experimental Forest: bark beetle responses to differences in forest structure and the application of prescribed fire in interior ponderosa pineThis article is one of a selection of papers from the Special Forum on Ecological Studies in Interior Ponderosa Pine — First Findings from Blacks Mountain Interdisciplinary Research.

Canadian Journal of Forest Research ◽

10.1139/x07-243 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 38 (5) ◽

pp. 924-935 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Christopher J. Fettig ◽

Robert R. Borys ◽

Stephen R. McKelvey ◽

Christopher P. Dabney

Keyword(s):

Bark Beetle ◽

Pinus Ponderosa ◽

Prescribed Fire ◽

Ponderosa Pine ◽

Tree Mortality ◽

Dendroctonus Brevicomis ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Pine Beetle ◽

Low Diversity ◽

High Diversity

Mechanical thinning and the application of prescribed fire are commonly used tools in the restoration of fire-adapted forest ecosystems. However, few studies have explored their effects on subsequent amounts of bark beetle caused tree mortality in interior ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex P. & C. Laws. var. ponderosa. In this study, we examined bark beetle responses to creation of midseral (low diversity) and late-seral stages (high diversity) and the application of prescribed fire on 12 experimental units ranging in size from 76 to 136 ha. A total of 9500 (5.0% of all trees) Pinus and Abies trees died 2 years after treatment of which 28.8% (2733 trees) was attributed to bark beetle colonization. No significant difference in the mean percentage of trees colonized by bark beetles was found between low diversity and high diversity. The application of prescribed fire resulted in significant increases in bark beetle caused tree mortality (all species) and for western pine beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis LeConte, mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins, Ips spp., and fir engraver, Scolytus ventralis LeConte, individually. Approximately 85.6% (2339 trees) of all bark beetle caused tree mortality occurred on burned split plots. The implications of these and other results to sustainable forest management are discussed.

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