Mountain pine beetle populations increased in 1979 in the Thompson River drainage to levels predicted following the 1978 attack period. New attacks in 1979 averaged 27 per acre. Current estimates indicate another 25 percent of the remaining lodgepole pine could be killed in 1980.
Mountain pine beetle populations began building in the Kootenai National Forest in 1972. Infestations now encompass an estimated 48,599 acres of lodgepole pine type and 615 acres of ponderosa pine type. Approximately 25 percent of the high-risk stands, 17 percent of the moderate-risk, and less than 1 percent of the...
The mountain pine beetle infestation on Bureau of Land Management lands in Centennial Valley has increased from about 500 acres in 1977 to more than 7,000 in 1979. Average number of trees per acre killed has more than quadrupled, increasing from 9.8 in 1977 to 47.8 in 1979. Predictions for...
Insect damage was extensive to Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, western white pine, and western larch cones at most seed production areas surveyed in 1979. From 70 to 100 percent of the cones from several collecting periods were injured. Moderate damage (40-70 percent of cones injured) occurred to Douglas-fir, ponderosa pine, western...
A pilot survey was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of using multistage sampling techniques to measure annual and cumulative mortality on a State-wide basis with acceptable statistical reliability, timeliness, and cost. Within the State of Montana, aerial surveys showed about 986,000 acres of lodgepole pine infested with mountain pine beetle....