Forest Insect and Disease Conditions in the Southwestern Region, 2006

摘要

Dry winter weather during the 2005-2006 season was followed by an unusually wet 2006 spring in Arizona and mid-summer in New Mexico. Overall bark beetle mortality of conifers increased slightly in 2006 to just over 211,000 acres compared to 206,000 acres observed in 2005. Although the area with ponderosa pine mortality increased significantly, slightly over half of the affected area was due to widely scattered mortality, some post-fire related, on the Gila National Forest. Pinon mortality continued to decrease throughout the region. High elevation mortality decreased overall with a slight increase in true fir mortality.