1138 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



from destructive epidemics. A disease first appearing in one State 

 may be of no importance there because of the limited commercial 

 value of the tree attacked, or unfavorable conditions for the develop- 

 ment of the disease, but if allowed to continue unchecked it could 

 easily prove catastrophic in another forest region embracing several 

 States. Naturally taxpayers in one State are reluctant to have money 

 spent for the protection of other States, since there is no assurance 

 that they will receive equal consideration under similar circumstances. 

 The only way action can be taken promptly enough in such situations 

 to be successful is by direct Federal aid, both financial and through 

 leadership which coordinates the efforts of all agencies concerned. 

 The service organization which has proved valuable in curtailing white 

 pine blister rust can be modified to take care of similar situations 

 which additional introduced disease might call into being. 



FOREST ENTOMOLOGY 



By Division of Forest Insects, Bureau of Entomology 



The control of forest insects as a factor in timber production has 

 been developed chiefly by the Federal Government. Each of its 

 three elements prevention, early detection, and suppression of insect 

 attacks is dependent upon research for the perfection of its methods. 

 The highly technical nature of the subject, its importance, and its 

 scope and complexity call for the utmost possible Nation-wide coordi- 

 nation of plans, funds, and personnel and therefore, for unified Federal 

 and coordinated State action. 



The work in forest insect control has grown up around the activities 

 of the Bureau of Entomology, which has handled the research activi- 

 ties, recommended plans and procedure for putting research results 

 into practice, and to a considerable extent supervised the control 

 work. Control measures based on the research findings have been 

 conducted by three Federal agencies the Forest Service, the National 

 Park Service, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs and also by private 

 timberland owners. The growth of these control activities is indicated 

 by expenditures which have increased from $2,700 in 1906 to nearly 

 $200,000 a year, by the Forest Service alone, in the last three years. 

 Expenditures by the National Park Service during the last 3 years 

 were from $40,000 to $50,000 a year, and those of the Bureau of 

 Indian Affairs from $10,000 to $20,000. As will be shown in the 

 section State Aid to Private Owners and Local Political Units, State 

 aid to private owners in forest insect control amounts annually to 

 about $1,206,000, consisting of State, county, and town funds mostly 

 for gypsy moth control in New England, New York, and New Jersey. 



In view of the great annual losses from forest insects which, as 

 stated elsewhere, have been variously estimated at from $100,000,000 

 to $150,000,000 a year the service made available to the States 

 through the national prosecution of forest insect investigations and 

 control measures assumes large proportions. Few States escape loss 

 from such insects as the mountain pine beetle, the Black Hills beetle, 

 the western pine beetle, the pine butterfly, the spruce budworm, the 

 hemlock looper, the gypsy moth, the southern pine beetle, and the 

 numerous insects which damage felled logs, sawed lumber, and finished 



