95 



STATEMENT OF FIELDS W. COBB, JR 



2 



The potential for introductions of damaging forest pests into North America through 

 importation of inadequately treated logs and other wood products of our forests by exotic 

 pests can have greater potential impacts upon the economy and upon whole forest ecosystems 

 than almost any other conceivable disruption. 



To illustrate the point, I'd like to go back to the turn of the century. About 1900, two 

 disease causing pests were introduced into the United States on plant material. They were the 

 chestnut bbght fungus and white pine blister rust, 



In 1900 the American chesmut was the most majestic tree in the magnificent eastern 

 hardwood forests that covered approximately 200 million acres of land. The chestnut 

 represented 25-30 percent of the composition of those forests; m other words, it was Jhe 

 dominant organism in the ecosystem. Aesthetically the tree was outstanding. As a provider 

 of food for wildlife, it was unsurpassed, and many species depended upon it directly or 

 indirectly, including even the bald eagle. As a provider of quality wood for human use, it 

 wa5 excellent. By 1950, the blight fungus had virtually eliminated American chestnut from 

 the American scene. Some of us may have been fortunate enough to see those forests 

 dominated by chestnuts, but our children and their children and their children's children will 

 probably never see them again. 



Econonucaliy, the losses have already reached into the trillions of dollars, and we arc 

 far from having completed our payments to the piper. Primarily, oaks of lesser quality have 

 occupied the niche left by the chestnut. Some of us believe that the increased population of 

 oaks has led to the emergence of a major, deadly disease of oak known as oak wilt. We did 

 not know of the existence of oak wilt until the late 1930's, although the fungus that causes 

 the disease is probably native. Also, the dramatic mcreasc in oaks has probably made the 



