D3033: Bark beetle response to prescribed fire

In the southeastern United States, there are five major bark beetles: Ips calligraphus, I. avulsus, and I. grandicollis, and Dendroctonus terebrans which are attracted to weak and dying trees, and D. frontalis (southern pine beetle) which attacks and kills healthy trees. Together these beetles can cause massive amounts of damage when they attack trees in large numbers. One of the most common forest management techniques is prescribed burning which reduces competition and fuel load on the forest floor. It also helps remove infested and weakened trees which should reduce bark beetle populations by removing the trees that they preferentially attack. However, climate change is causing more extreme temperature fluctuations and more severe, and long-lasting, drought. The major goals of this research project are to 1) evaluate effectiveness of prescribed burns in controlling bark beetle populations in various climate change scenarios and 2) investigate correlations between bark beetle populations and prescribed burns. Each of four sites across South Carolina contains three plots, each plot with three traps, which are collected weekly during the bark beetle flight season (early spring to late fall). One plot at each site will be burned each year for a total of three years. Results from this study will increase understanding of how climate change influences prescribed burning and bark beetle outbreaks.