Beetle Mania
Tracking the Southern Pine Beetle in Georgia
Summer 2024
By Stasia Kelly
Pictured: Each type of pine beetle leaves a signature trail.
“Too far gone to salvage”: This recent SPB kill in Greene Co. decimated
7+ acres of pine to the tune of $10,000. A buffer will be cut and other tracts thinned
Three little words are capable of striking fear in the heart of a forest landowner: “southern pine beetles.” When followed by “It’s bad,” the dread just might be audible. While smaller than a grain of rice, southern pine beetles (SPB) have hearty appetites and lots of relatives. Black turpentine and Ips beetles bring on headaches too.
Observant landowners are well aware of beetle infestation signs, including boring dust, pitch tubes, fading crown color and dropping green needles. Beneath the bark, there are squiggly trails of “beetle juice” (galleries) that show the insects’ feeding and procreation paths. These galleries, with shapes specific to each species, are what eventually kills the tree by girdling it. It takes a knowledgeable forester to deter - mine which beetle has invaded, and that’s where the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) comes in.
Observant landowners are well aware of beetle infestation signs, including boring dust, pitch tubes, fading crown color and dropping green needles. Beneath the bark, there are squiggly trails of “beetle juice” (galleries) that show the insects’ feeding and procreation paths. These galleries, with shapes specific to each species, are what eventually kills the tree by girdling it. It takes a knowledgeable forester to deter - mine which beetle has invaded, and that’s where the Georgia Forestry Commission (GFC) comes in.
Forester Gary McGinnis hangs a special trap that lures
SPB for area outbreak projections.
On the Move
It’s been a busy spring for GFC forest health specialists and forestry consultants statewide. Concerned Georgia landowners have been calling with questions about infestation signs and many have led to positive identification of SPB activity in certain locations. While outbreaks haven’t been as severe as some recorded in past years, for those targeted, they’re plenty serious.
Southern pine beetles have earned their reputation as the most destructive forest pest in the Southeast United States. They’ve killed almost $300 million worth of pine trees in Georgia since 1972. Based on more than 35 years of aerial survey data in Georgia, SPB outbreaks tend to be cyclic and often correspond with weather events of drought or flooding, depending on the location within Georgia.
In 2024, SPB activity has risen. It’s a trend that was not unexpected, based on what was noted in aerial surveys from the fall of last year. Many SPB spots detected in the late fall and early winter were still active despite cold temperatures. This was the primary indicator that 2024 was going to be a busy season.
Every spring, the GFC participates in a trapping program that helps pinpoint areas that might experience increased SPB activity in the warmer months ahead. Specially designed traps, 50 statewide, are hung in early to mid-March during the time of redbud bloom. Every week for six weeks, foresters collect trap samples from counties throughout Georgia, especially those that were highlighted the previous fall. This trapping protocol, along with a new prediction model, has proven accurate in predicting SPB activity and forecasting needed mitigation strategies.
It’s been a busy spring for GFC forest health specialists and forestry consultants statewide. Concerned Georgia landowners have been calling with questions about infestation signs and many have led to positive identification of SPB activity in certain locations. While outbreaks haven’t been as severe as some recorded in past years, for those targeted, they’re plenty serious.
Southern pine beetles have earned their reputation as the most destructive forest pest in the Southeast United States. They’ve killed almost $300 million worth of pine trees in Georgia since 1972. Based on more than 35 years of aerial survey data in Georgia, SPB outbreaks tend to be cyclic and often correspond with weather events of drought or flooding, depending on the location within Georgia.
In 2024, SPB activity has risen. It’s a trend that was not unexpected, based on what was noted in aerial surveys from the fall of last year. Many SPB spots detected in the late fall and early winter were still active despite cold temperatures. This was the primary indicator that 2024 was going to be a busy season.
Every spring, the GFC participates in a trapping program that helps pinpoint areas that might experience increased SPB activity in the warmer months ahead. Specially designed traps, 50 statewide, are hung in early to mid-March during the time of redbud bloom. Every week for six weeks, foresters collect trap samples from counties throughout Georgia, especially those that were highlighted the previous fall. This trapping protocol, along with a new prediction model, has proven accurate in predicting SPB activity and forecasting needed mitigation strategies.
GFC foresters conduct aerial surveys to locate SPB spots, then notify landowners of
infestation size and mitigation options.
Bracing for Trouble
GFC Forest Management Chief Troy Clymer and the forest health team have been discovering early SPB activity, which is concerning. “It’s rare for us to see active beetle signs from January to April,” Clymer said. “Normally beetle activity starts showing up in July. Central Georgia has been active as well as parts of northwest Georgia. Areas where tornadoes have passed through in recent years, like Coweta and Meriwether, are showing infestations, which can be expected because of the damaged timber left behind by the storms.”
Clymer said pines are most susceptible when they are stressed by stand conditions such as overcrowding, old age or root disease. Weather factors such as drought, flooding or storm damage create attractive targets for beetles. Lightning struck trees are particularly vulnerable to attack, as are trees damaged by road building or logging activities.
According to GFC Forest Health Coordinator Michael Torbett, “Southern pine beetle outbreaks can occur in any part of the state, but populations have been historically higher in the Piedmont region. Both last year and this year’s outbreaks have focused on Georgia’s Piedmont.” As the trapping season neared its end in mid-May, the SPB count was pushing toward 100. The vast majority were in the Piedmont, while the largest spot measured 40 acres in Cherokee County. The newly released report shows central Georgia with five areas of high probability (>50%) of spots. Greene, Jasper, Jones and Oglethorpe Counties have high probability of having spots, with Putnam County having the greatest possibility. The result predicts SPB activity will be low in the southern region and moderate in the western and north Georgia areas.
GFC Forest Management Chief Troy Clymer and the forest health team have been discovering early SPB activity, which is concerning. “It’s rare for us to see active beetle signs from January to April,” Clymer said. “Normally beetle activity starts showing up in July. Central Georgia has been active as well as parts of northwest Georgia. Areas where tornadoes have passed through in recent years, like Coweta and Meriwether, are showing infestations, which can be expected because of the damaged timber left behind by the storms.”
Clymer said pines are most susceptible when they are stressed by stand conditions such as overcrowding, old age or root disease. Weather factors such as drought, flooding or storm damage create attractive targets for beetles. Lightning struck trees are particularly vulnerable to attack, as are trees damaged by road building or logging activities.
According to GFC Forest Health Coordinator Michael Torbett, “Southern pine beetle outbreaks can occur in any part of the state, but populations have been historically higher in the Piedmont region. Both last year and this year’s outbreaks have focused on Georgia’s Piedmont.” As the trapping season neared its end in mid-May, the SPB count was pushing toward 100. The vast majority were in the Piedmont, while the largest spot measured 40 acres in Cherokee County. The newly released report shows central Georgia with five areas of high probability (>50%) of spots. Greene, Jasper, Jones and Oglethorpe Counties have high probability of having spots, with Putnam County having the greatest possibility. The result predicts SPB activity will be low in the southern region and moderate in the western and north Georgia areas.
Forest Consultant James Johnson and Middle Georgia Timber’s Jason Simmons verify an SPB outbreak in the Piedmont.
When Fences Aren’t Effective
Amy Rosen’s property is in the southern end of Oconee County and she is not a happy landowner.
“Last year got bad,” she said. “We stand to lose a lot of money here.”
Rosen manages her land for timber and silvipasture and she understands the value of taking preventative measures for the health of her stands. Loggers thinned her pines about three years ago, but that doesn’t mean the beetles have passed her by. A neighbor who “needed to thin 30 years ago” — and didn’t — fostered an infestation that has gone on to infect way more acres than his own.
Rosen said it can be hard to keep relationships neighborly when these problems come up. And it’s equally challenging to nurture connections with loggers, who tend to focus on the bigger jobs.
“Landowners with less than 30 acres and beginning landowners have a hard time finding someone willing to do smaller tracts,” she said. Rosen worries that the SPB-damaged timber on her land is a fire hazard and needs to come down, but her other tracts are not yet ready for thinning.
“It’s a bigger thing than you think by not managing your timber,” she said.
Jason Simmons of Middle Georgia Timber couldn’t agree more. As a timber buyer, landowner and registered forester, he understands the tricky balancing act that forest management requires. Between timber age and needs, financial decisions, and equipment and crew readiness, his own strategies resemble moves on a chess board.
When Fences Aren’t Effective
Amy Rosen’s property is in the southern end of Oconee County and she is not a happy landowner. “Last year got bad,” she said. “We stand to lose a lot of money here.” Rosen manages her land for timber and silvipasture and she understands the value of taking preventative measures for the health of her stands. Loggers thinned her pines about three years ago, but that doesn’t mean the beetles have passed her by. A neighbor who “needed to thin 30 years ago” — and didn’t — fostered an infestation that has gone on to infect way more acres than his own.
Rosen said it can be hard to keep relationships neighborly when these problems come up. And it’s equally challenging to nurture connections with loggers, who tend to focus on the bigger jobs.
“Landowners with less than 30 acres and beginning landowners have a hard time finding someone willing to do smaller tracts,” she said. Rosen worries that the SPB-damaged timber on her land is a fire hazard and needs to come down, but her other tracts are not yet ready for thinning. “It’s a bigger thing than you think by not managing your timber,” she said.
Jason Simmons of Middle Georgia Timber couldn’t agree more. As a timber buyer, landowner and registered forester, he understands the tricky balancing act that forest management requires. Between timber age and needs, financial decisions, and equipment and crew readiness, his own strategies resemble moves on a chess board.
“We stay booked a year out,” Simmons said, “and I’ve had to say no to some folks.” Simmons has to take a host of factors into consideration when he books his crews, with weather and terrain being two big ones. If wet conditions exist, heavy equipment can cause site damage, such as rutting. That can severely limit logging in some areas.
“The Piedmont has a lot of red clay and slopes. Deer season is a factor. It’s all tied to what we can haul and sell to the mill. Sometimes landowners want to wait for a better price or they don’t want the mess for aesthetic reasons.” And don’t get him started on the ups and downs of keeping a logging business running in this day and age.
In the end, Simmons said, it’s “all up to the landowner,” and putting off thinning can be quite risky.
“If you see something, say something,” added Forestry Consultant James John - son. Johnson and Simmons have worked together throughout Hancock, Morgan, Putnam and surrounding counties, where SPB and other beetle experiences are nothing new. Their eyes never stop scanning treetops when cruising down a bumpy forest road, and a hatchet is always close by to pop off some bark and inspect the damage.
“By the time the bark slips,” Johnson said, “the mills don’t want it.” And what’s a landowner to do with the mess left behind? Assuming a logging crew is available, 1) cut and remove infected trees (can include other areas for thinning or harvest if necessary) or 2) cut and leave (can include piling and burning if necessary). Both options must include cutting a buffer around the active infestation.
As summer progresses, the focus now is on helping landowners ward off infestations. GFC forest health specialists have fanned out across the state to educate landowners about their critical role.
“Keep looking up,” Johnson said. Because when dealing with SPB, an ounce of prevention can truly be worth tons of cure.
Tips for SPB Resistant Forestland
•Match the correct pine species to each specific site. Longleaf is most resistant to SPB and best suited for sandy soils and the southern part of the state. Slash and white pines also have higher resistance.
• Be vigilant about keeping pines thinnedto a basal area (BA) of 80 square feet or less. Once pine stands reach a BA of 120 square feet or more, the stand increases its likelihood of beetle attacks.
•Actively manage your pine stands using targeted prescribed burns, herbicide releases of competing hardwoods or invasive species, and non-commercial thinning in overstocked stands.
• Utilize cost-share programs to reduce risk or reestablish damaged stands.
Find more information at gatrees.org/forestmanagement-conservation/cost-share-incentive-programs/southern-pine-beetle-cost-shareprogram-spb. If you have a pine beetle issue on your property, please contact your local GFC forester to visit the site, assess the issue and develop a plan to mitigate the problem. ■
Stasia Kelly is a media relations specialist with the Georgia Forestry Commission. She is focused on telling the story of forestry and exploring the immense impact of the industry on Georgia’s environment, economy and heritage.
Amy Rosen’s property is in the southern end of Oconee County and she is not a happy landowner.
“Last year got bad,” she said. “We stand to lose a lot of money here.”
Rosen manages her land for timber and silvipasture and she understands the value of taking preventative measures for the health of her stands. Loggers thinned her pines about three years ago, but that doesn’t mean the beetles have passed her by. A neighbor who “needed to thin 30 years ago” — and didn’t — fostered an infestation that has gone on to infect way more acres than his own.
Rosen said it can be hard to keep relationships neighborly when these problems come up. And it’s equally challenging to nurture connections with loggers, who tend to focus on the bigger jobs.
“Landowners with less than 30 acres and beginning landowners have a hard time finding someone willing to do smaller tracts,” she said. Rosen worries that the SPB-damaged timber on her land is a fire hazard and needs to come down, but her other tracts are not yet ready for thinning.
“It’s a bigger thing than you think by not managing your timber,” she said.
Jason Simmons of Middle Georgia Timber couldn’t agree more. As a timber buyer, landowner and registered forester, he understands the tricky balancing act that forest management requires. Between timber age and needs, financial decisions, and equipment and crew readiness, his own strategies resemble moves on a chess board.
When Fences Aren’t Effective
Amy Rosen’s property is in the southern end of Oconee County and she is not a happy landowner. “Last year got bad,” she said. “We stand to lose a lot of money here.” Rosen manages her land for timber and silvipasture and she understands the value of taking preventative measures for the health of her stands. Loggers thinned her pines about three years ago, but that doesn’t mean the beetles have passed her by. A neighbor who “needed to thin 30 years ago” — and didn’t — fostered an infestation that has gone on to infect way more acres than his own.
Rosen said it can be hard to keep relationships neighborly when these problems come up. And it’s equally challenging to nurture connections with loggers, who tend to focus on the bigger jobs.
“Landowners with less than 30 acres and beginning landowners have a hard time finding someone willing to do smaller tracts,” she said. Rosen worries that the SPB-damaged timber on her land is a fire hazard and needs to come down, but her other tracts are not yet ready for thinning. “It’s a bigger thing than you think by not managing your timber,” she said.
Jason Simmons of Middle Georgia Timber couldn’t agree more. As a timber buyer, landowner and registered forester, he understands the tricky balancing act that forest management requires. Between timber age and needs, financial decisions, and equipment and crew readiness, his own strategies resemble moves on a chess board.
“We stay booked a year out,” Simmons said, “and I’ve had to say no to some folks.” Simmons has to take a host of factors into consideration when he books his crews, with weather and terrain being two big ones. If wet conditions exist, heavy equipment can cause site damage, such as rutting. That can severely limit logging in some areas.
“The Piedmont has a lot of red clay and slopes. Deer season is a factor. It’s all tied to what we can haul and sell to the mill. Sometimes landowners want to wait for a better price or they don’t want the mess for aesthetic reasons.” And don’t get him started on the ups and downs of keeping a logging business running in this day and age.
In the end, Simmons said, it’s “all up to the landowner,” and putting off thinning can be quite risky.
“If you see something, say something,” added Forestry Consultant James John - son. Johnson and Simmons have worked together throughout Hancock, Morgan, Putnam and surrounding counties, where SPB and other beetle experiences are nothing new. Their eyes never stop scanning treetops when cruising down a bumpy forest road, and a hatchet is always close by to pop off some bark and inspect the damage.
“By the time the bark slips,” Johnson said, “the mills don’t want it.” And what’s a landowner to do with the mess left behind? Assuming a logging crew is available, 1) cut and remove infected trees (can include other areas for thinning or harvest if necessary) or 2) cut and leave (can include piling and burning if necessary). Both options must include cutting a buffer around the active infestation.
As summer progresses, the focus now is on helping landowners ward off infestations. GFC forest health specialists have fanned out across the state to educate landowners about their critical role.
“Keep looking up,” Johnson said. Because when dealing with SPB, an ounce of prevention can truly be worth tons of cure.
Tips for SPB Resistant Forestland
•Match the correct pine species to each specific site. Longleaf is most resistant to SPB and best suited for sandy soils and the southern part of the state. Slash and white pines also have higher resistance.
• Be vigilant about keeping pines thinnedto a basal area (BA) of 80 square feet or less. Once pine stands reach a BA of 120 square feet or more, the stand increases its likelihood of beetle attacks.
•Actively manage your pine stands using targeted prescribed burns, herbicide releases of competing hardwoods or invasive species, and non-commercial thinning in overstocked stands.
• Utilize cost-share programs to reduce risk or reestablish damaged stands.
Find more information at gatrees.org/forestmanagement-conservation/cost-share-incentive-programs/southern-pine-beetle-cost-shareprogram-spb. If you have a pine beetle issue on your property, please contact your local GFC forester to visit the site, assess the issue and develop a plan to mitigate the problem. ■
Stasia Kelly is a media relations specialist with the Georgia Forestry Commission. She is focused on telling the story of forestry and exploring the immense impact of the industry on Georgia’s environment, economy and heritage.
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