Larch Saw-fly Killing Tamarack 



THE larch saw-fly, one of the worst despoilers of forests, 

 is killing tamarack in Minnesota. This little insect, 

 brought to America, from European countries, unbidden, 

 not welcomed and feared because of its ability to destroy, is 

 hard at work in the North woods and already has made in- 

 roads which is alarming. The fly has killed a great part of 

 the tamarack in Maine, Quebec, Ontario and lake states of 

 the East and has now reached the Northwest. 



The female saw-fly has an ovipository containing a pair of 

 saw-like organs with which she makes incisions in the leaves 

 or stems of trees in which to lay eggs. From these, little 

 green worms hatch and become deadly enemies of the giant 

 trees. In Minnesota, the pest is to be most feared because 

 Minn'sota has more tamarack than any other state in the 

 'union. It is one of the staple timbers. Tamarack grows to 

 be more than 100 feet in height, often gets to be over two 

 feet in diameter, is usually straight and is the best of timber 

 for bridge work and for use in piling and ties. Because of 

 its value, the state forest service is making a special study 

 of its production. 



Nip the Leaves From Trees and Thus Destroy the Lung*. 



Tamarack is found on millions of acres of Minnesota land, 

 and is especially a.bundant on much of the state properties. 

 In Koochiching, Itasca and Beltrami counties tamarack is 

 thickest, although it is found in all the Northern counties. 



"The larch saw-flies first appeared here some seven or eight 

 years ago," according to W. T. Cox, state forester. "They 

 have multiplied rapidly, and are injuring the tamarack trees 

 appreciably. The flies kill the leaves and twigs of the trees 

 the 'lungs' through which a tree breathes. Apparently, 

 they attack the large trees first. They seem to take the high 

 spots first, like the eagle making its nest. They do not dam- 

 age the small trees so much as they do the large ones. There 



10 



