SHORTLEAF PINE IN VIRGINIA. ' '', , 43 



tective system. The readiness of the Federal Government to co- 

 operate under the terms of this law as soon as the State itself 

 makes a start is an incentive to immediate action. In the short- 

 leaf pine area of Virginia the water-sheds of the Appomattox, 

 James, Roanoke and Eapidan rivers could be protected by such 

 co-operation. 



Insects. The danger of fire is greatest to seedling stands, but 

 the possibility of insect damage, although it is always present, 

 increases after the trees are twenty years old. One of the most 

 pernicious insects is the pine bark beetle, Dendroctonm frontalis, 

 Zimmt which devastated the coniferous forest of middle and west- 

 ern Virginia between 1888 and 1892. This species channels the 

 inner bark in the middle part of the stem and eventually girdles 

 the trees, thus killing them. Other beetles infest the wood of 

 the living tree, and yet others attack only dead or dying trees. 

 The fecundity of the pine bark beetle is so great that several large 

 broods are produced in a single summer, and when conditions are 

 favorable they propagate in enormous numbers and cause serious 

 depredations. Pure stands in old fields invite destructive attacks, 

 since in them the insects can readily spread from tree to tree. 



The best way to hold this insect in check is to keep the trees 

 in thrifty condition by preventing overcrowding, by removing 

 wood which would serve as breeding places, and by cutting out in- 

 fested trees. It is particularly desirable to maKe these protective 

 cuttings before the spring and early summer broods of the insects 

 come out and spread. Infested trees should be promptly removed 

 as soon as noticed. The removal of weak trees in thinning elimi- 

 nates them as sources of breeding, while cutting low stumps and 

 close utilization, or the piling and burning of tops operations 

 which are sometimes advisable for other reasons remove much 

 other wood. The cutting of live trees should be limited as far as 

 possible to the winter, but dead trees can be cut at any time. 

 Special care should be used in summer cutting not to leave freshly- 

 cut tops touching live trees, and to remove promptly trees that 

 have been killed by lightning. When cord wood or logs which are 

 spring or summer cut cannot be promptly removed, they should be 

 peeled or racked in the sun, that they may dry. Detailed infor- 

 mation in regard to protection against this beetle is contained in 

 Farmers' Bulletin, No. 47.6. 



Fungus Diseases. The most important known fungus which 

 attacks shortleaf pine is Trametes pini, the cause of redheart. 



