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Managing forests for gypsy moth (Lymanria dispar L.) using silviculture: Testing the effectiveness of silvicultural treatments in reducing defoliation and mortality

Informally Refereed

Abstract

Invasion of eastern forests by the exotic insect, gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.), has resulted in widespread defoliation and subsequent tree mortality. Disturbance from these factors varies widely across the landscape; some stands have little or no mortality while other stands have almost complete mortality. With average mortality rates of 25 to 35 percent, silvicultural treatments have been proposed as an alternative to insect suppression treatments to minimize gypsy moth effects. Study objectives were: 1) to evaluate the effectiveness of two silvicultural treatments (presalvage and sanitation thinnings) in minimizing gypsy moth effects on forests; and 2) to determine the mechanisms involved in silviculturegypsy moth interactions. Only the first objective will be addressed in this presentation.

Parent Publication

Citation

Gottschalk, Kurt W.; Muzika, Rose-Marie; Twery, Mark J. 1999. Managing forests for gypsy moth (Lymanria dispar L.) using silviculture: Testing the effectiveness of silvicultural treatments in reducing defoliation and mortality. In: Stringer, Jeffrey W.; Loftis, David L., eds. 1999. Proceedings, 12th central hardwood forest conference; 1999 February 28-March 1-2; Lexington, KY. Gen. Tech. Rep. SRS-24. Asheville, NC: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station. 293 p
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/65938