April, '13] CONFERENCE OF FOREST ENTOMOLOGISTS 281 



their ravages, and the private owners of forests and the pubhc are beginning to take 

 an active interest in the subject, especially in sections of the country' where srny atten- 

 tion is given to forest conservation. ' 



In discussing the services to be rendered in the future it was concluded that 

 the greatest present need is in the line of further systematic and economic investi- 

 gations of the more important injurious and beneficial species and the orders, fam- 

 ilies, and genera of insects which are represented by species of economic importance, 

 and that speciahzation by experts should be a primary feature in the policy of the 

 Branch, as applied to systematic and economic investigations and practical details 

 in application. 



FoUowmg the discussion of the relations of the Branch of Forest Insects to other 

 branches of the public service and to private interests, it was agreed that it is that 

 of the scientific investigator and technical advisor en insect foes and friends of the 

 forest and on methods of preventing unnecessary waste of forest re.sources. It was 

 shown that a representative of the Branch rendering assistance to another branch 

 of the public service — federal or state — or to private interests — organized or indi- 

 vidual, great or small^does so with the idea of rendering a public service through the 

 results of practical application by the beneficiary. Therefore, no direct assistance 

 should be required of such a representative unless there is assurance from the bene- 

 ficiary that there will be an equivalent return in results which will further the inter- 

 ests of the nation, the state, or a community of local interests. 



The present organization of the Branch of Forest Insects, with Dr. Hopkins Chief 

 of Branch, includes fom' field stations: Station 1 at Missoula, Montana, for Montana, 

 northern Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado, and South Dakota, with Josef Brunner in 

 charge; Station o, at Placerville, California, for California, Nevada, Arizona, and 

 New Mexico, with H. E. Burke in charge; Station 6, at Ashland, Oregon, for Oregon, 

 Washington, Utah, and southern Idaho, with W. D. Edmonston in charge; and 

 Station 8 at Falls Church, Virginia, for the eastern states, with S. A. Rohwer in 

 charge. These stations do not represent administrative divisions but are centers for 

 the investigation of local problems and for the conducting of instruction and control 

 projects. In addition to the force of three to five men at each station, there is a 

 staff of specialists at Washington engaged in the systematic investigation of the 

 more important orders of insects and special subjects, as follows: Scolytid beetles — 

 A. D. Hopkins; Forest Hymenoptera — S. A. Rohwer; Forest Lepidoptera — August 

 Busck; Forest Coleoptera (general) — W. S. Fisher; Forest Diptera — C. T. Greene; 

 Forest Isoptera — T. E. Snyder; Cerambycid larvse — F. C. Craighead; and Bupres- 

 tid larvs— H. E. Burke. 



Some of the special field inve.stigations now under way are — ^the investigation 

 of chestnut insects and their relation to the chestnut bark disease, general; insect 

 damage to telegraph and telephone poles, posts, mine props, etc., by T. E. Snyder; 

 relation of liglitning and insects to the death of trees, by W. D. Edmonston; damage 

 to fire and insect-killed timber by wood-boring insects, by B. T. Harvey; damage to 

 forest tree seeds by insects, by J. M. MiUer; damage to reproduction pine by tip 

 moths and pitch worms, by Josef Brunner; the relation of mistletoe and witches 

 broom on living trees to attack b3' insects, by H. E. Burke. 



Experiments are under way to determine the relative immunity of different un- 

 treated and treated woods from damage by termites, by T. E. Snyder, and ex- 

 periments are planned to determine the smallest percentage of an infestation to be 

 disposed of to insure the control of the depredations by the various species of Den- 

 droctonus beetles. 

 March 12, 1913. 



