ENTOMOLOGY 323 



In State and National Forests. In all forest reserves in which 

 there is an organized force of rangers and fire wardens or patrols 

 each officer should be furnished with instructions for the location of 

 beetle-infested trees, and with equipment and directions for taking 

 the necessary action whenever the conditions demand or warrant it. 



In Private Forests. Private forests should receive the same at- 

 tention as public forests, but this is often far more difficult on ac- 

 count of intervening forests, where the owners either can not or will 

 not give the matter the required attention. While it may be advis- 

 able to have some laws to govern the treatment of timber infested 

 with a dangerous pest, when the owner refuses to take any ac- 

 tion such a law should apply only to the more extreme cases or as a 

 last resort on authoritative advice. It is probable that in most cases 

 legislation will not be necessary, and more ultimate good will result 

 without than with strict laws, especially when it can be made clear to 

 the owner that his personal interests demand that he take the proper 

 action and that, when necessary, his neighbors will render assistance, 

 as is done in the case of a forest fire. 



Inaccessible Areas. There are yet large inaccessible areas in 

 the East and West where it is not practicable or possible at present to 

 control the depredations by these beetles and which must therefore 

 be left to the same natural adjustment that has been going on in all 

 forests from their beginning. While under such natural control much 

 of the older matured timber will be lost and will usually be replaced 

 by young growth, either of the same species of trees or of a different 

 species, so that under normal conditions the forest will be perpetu- 

 ated; but under exceptional conditions and combinations of detri- 

 mental influences, such as secondary insect enemies, fire, drought, 

 etc., extensive areas may be completely denuded, never to be refor- 

 ested under natural conditions. Therefore it will evidently not be 

 very long before it will pay to adopt insect-control policies even in 

 the areas that are inaccessible for profitable lumbering. 



CONTROL OP INSECTS WHICH INJURE LIVING TIMBER. 



The class of insects which causes defects in the wood of living 

 timber can be controlled to a greater or less extent, depending upon 

 local conditions, and a large percentage of the losses prevented 

 through the adoption of certain requisite details in forest manage- 

 ment. Of these the following are especially important : 



(1) The utilization of all of the defective and infested timber 

 that will pay expenses for manufacture into merchantable products, 

 such as lumber, cordwood, etc. 



(2) The burning of infested timber and waste material not 

 available for use, including dead standing and fallen timber, to re- 

 move the breeding places of insects like the oak timber worm and 

 the chestnut timber worm, which go from the dead to the living 

 timber. 



(3) The prevention of wounds of any kind in the bark of living 

 trees. 



(4) The prevention of future losses by tho practice of im- 

 proved forestry methods which will eliminate favorable conditions 



