Title

1998 Annual Northeastern Area
Forest Health Protection Insect and Disease Conditions Report

Prepared by USDA Forest Service, State and Private Forestry in
cooperation with State Forestry Agencies in the Northeastern Area"

Hosts: Birch, horse chestnut, maples, green ash, poplar, mulberry, willow, elm, locust

Three separate infestations were found in the Chicago metropolitan area in 1998. The only other known sites of infestation in the United States are in New York City. Eradication efforts began in New York during 1997 where over 2,000 infested trees were removed, chipped, and burned. These trees were located in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens and in the Amityville and Liudenhurst areas of Long Island. In 1998, the largest discovery of infested trees occured in Liudenhurst where approximately 100 infested trees where found. In Chicago in 1998, over 400 infested trees have been identified and will be removed beginning in February of 1999. Intensive surveys for infested trees will be continued in both Chicago and New York. In New York, planting of replacement trees (for the removed infested ones) will continue this Spring. More extensive surveys to identify other possible infestations are underway throughout the Northeast.

Region 9/Northeastern Area: Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Maryland, Indiana, West Virginia

The pine shoot beetle is a pest of pine trees which causes damage in weak and dying trees, and in the new growth of healthy trees. The beetle has been found in a variety of pine species in the United States. The pine shoot beetle is a serious foreign pest of pines and was first discovered in the United States in a Christmas tree farm in Ohio in 1992. Currently, 243 counties in the states of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Maryland, and West Virginia have known infested sites. In 1998, 19 counties were added to the list of areas with known infested sites. These counties are in Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, New York, Indiana, and Pennsylvania.

Region9/Northeastern Area: Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia

Hosts: Apple, aspen, basswood, black walnut, northern red oak, pin oak, red oak, white oak.

Gypsy moth defoliated acres increased to 360,601 acres in 1998, up from 49,180 acres in 1997. Gypsy moth populations increased most dramatically in Michigan where defoliated acres soared from 37,000 acres in 1997 to 301,780 acres in 1998. Other areas with increasing gypsy moth populations are: south central Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. The presence of the fungal pathogen, Entomophaga maimaiga , throughout the range of gypsy moth infested areas is a contributing factor in keeping populations at low levels. Though the fungus is present in Michigan it is not known why the gypsy moth population there continues to increase. In 1998, gypsy moth suppression to minimize damage occurred in Delaware, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, and Ohio. Efforts to slow the spread of gypsy moth to previously uninfested areas continue in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia, Virginia, and North Carolina.

Region 9/Northeastern Area: Connecticut, Delware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, West Virginia

Hemlock wooly adelgid populations continued to spread throughout the Northeast in 1988. New infestations are reported in Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Pennsylvania reported a total of 1,681 forested acres newly affected. In the urban landscape, the adelgid has been the most common ornamental hemlock pest reported. The mild winters over the last two years has reduced winter adelgid mortality and populations in previously infested areas are experiencing increases in damage.

In 1997, 5,374 acres of defoliation were reported on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. In 1998, no defoliation occured.

Region 9/Northeastern Area: Michigan, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Vermont, West Virginia, Pennsyvania

Cherry scallop shell moth populations appeared to have collapsed throughout the area in 1998 with no defoliation reported.

The eastern pine looper defoliated an area encompassing 400,000 acres within the Pinelands of southern New Jersey. This is the second time during the 1990s that a large outbreak of this insect has occured within the Pinelands. Unlike the previous outbreak of eastern pine looper in the Pinelands this one has been made more severe by the occurrence of pine needle miner within the affected area. The combination of looper feeding damage and needle miner caused needle drop has resulted in significant fire danger due to fuel build-up on the forest floor.

Significant defoliation occured on State and Private lands in Minnesota encompassing an area of 240,233 acres. In Michigan 12,157 acres were defoliated. Populations remained low in New York and no defoliation was reported in Maine, New Hampshire or Vermont.

Defoliation caused by the Fall cankerworm occured on 122,591 acres in Plymouth and Norfolk Counties in Massachusetts and on 1,133 acres in Preston and Monongalia counties in West Virginia.

Severe defoliation occured on 11,217 acres in Minnesota on 1,895 acres in Massachusetts and on 1,500 acres in Rhode Island. Populations that caused defoliation last year in Maryland, Illinois, and New Hampshire appear to have collapsed.

In 1998, 63,221 acres of defoliation were observed in Michigan. This is the second outbreak year for Jack pine budworm in Michigan. In Wisconsin, 2,289 acres of Jack pine defoliation were reported in Adams and Juneau Counties. This is a considerable decrease in activity from what was observed in 1997. No Jack pine defoliation was reported in Minnesota in 1998.

Damage from this gall producing wasp was reported on street trees within an area encompassing 1,883,900 acres throughout the state. The galls can become numerous enough to cause leaf discoloration or premature leaf drop.

The large aspen tortrix defoliated 592,121 acres of aspen in Michigan's Upper Pennisula. Most of the defoliation occurred in Chippewa and Ontonagon Counties. Defoliation caused by this insect also occurred on 3,078 acres in St. Louis County in Minnesota and 1,147 acres in New Hampshire. All of the defoliation in New Hampshire occurred in Coos County.

An area encompassing 148,100 acres in St. Lawerence County, New York experienced defoliation from the maple leafcutter. And, in Vermont, defoliation was reported on 1,359 acres.

Aerial surveys in Pennsylvania detected 1,666 acres of moderate to heavy defoliation caused by oak leaftier in south central Pennsylvania. Some of the oak leaftier activity is coincident with gypsy moth activity in the same areas. Treatment of the most severely affected areas is planned for 1999 in order to prevent tree mortaltiy.

The scarlet oak sawfly infestation contined for the second year in southeast Ohio and southwest West Virginia. An area encompassing 217,635 acres was defoliated on the Wayne National Forest in Ohio, and an addtional 76,791 acres was defoliated on adjacent and surrounding private lands. In West Virginia, 185,638 acres was defoliated in Mason, Cabell, Putnam, and Wayne Counties. This area also experienced heavy locust leafminer damage.

One nineteen acre infestation of southern pine beetle was observed in Dorchester County, Maryland.

Spruce beetle populations in Maine appear to be declining. Only 3,175 acres were affected in 1998.

Beech bark disease, Nectria coccinea , (Beech scale, Cryptococcus fagisuga)

Region 9/Northeastern Area: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia

The disease is present in beech stands throughout New England, northwest Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. In West Virginia, the disease is causing beech mortaltiy within an area of approximately 1 million acres in the central portions of the State. Within this million acres of forestland, there are about 18 beech trees (greater than 5 inches) per acre. In Vermont, 759 acres of forest were reported as having beech bark disease caused mortaltiy.

Dutch elm disease remains common throughout the region. In the District of Columbia, over 700 infected American elms were removed from city streets in order to help minimize the spread of the disease. Numerous diseased elms were reported in Iowa in 1998.

Surveys found scattered elm mortality in three counties in Maryland--Allegheny, Washington, and Frederick. In West Virginia's eastern panhandle, thousands of elms succumbed to elm yellows in 1998. Hardest hit areas were Jefferson, Berkely, and Morgan Counties. The disease was also reported throughout numerous counties in eastern Ohio.

Oak wilt caused tree mortality continued to occur across Iowa with trees roughly encompassing an area of 2,607 acres affected. In West Virginia, 35 trees were affected by the disease.

Lack of sufficient rainfall caused drought stress in several areas of the Northeast in 1998. Foliage discoloration and branch dieback was reported to occur on 673 acres in Minnesota, 378 acres in Massachusetts, and 41,490 acres in Missouri.

Region 9/Northeastern Area: Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Minnesota, Maryland, Iowa, New York

Scattered areas of wind damage occured throughout the northeast in 1998. The largest concentrations of damage occured in Wisconsin where 299,796 acres were affected by windstorms, in Iowa where 26,094 acres of forestland were severely damaged, New York, 83,974 acres, and in Minnnesora, 30,060 acres. In total, 464,531 acres of forestland were damaged by wind and toranadoes in 1998.

In January of 1998, a devastating ice storm blanketed northern New England and New York with up to 3 inches of ice. Nearly 17 million acres of rural and urban forests were damaged. Federal disaster declarations were made in 37 counties. In Maine, the storm "footprint" covered more than 11 million acres. All 16 of the State's counties were declared Federal disaster areas. In New Hampshire, the storm damaged 900,000 acres, including areas of the White Mountain National Forest. Nine of the State's 10 counties were declared Federal disaster areas. The storm track in New York covered 4.6 million acres and significantly damaged nearly 3 million acres. Six counties were declared Federal disaster areas. The storm left 943,000 acres in Vermont, including portions of the Green Mountain National Forest, damaged. Hardwoods, including poplar, beech, birch, black cherry, maple, white ash, and oak were mostly affected. The storm left a substantial amount of woody debris on the ground.