susceptible pines, and early 
salvage in thinnings. 
Another disease with high 
potential for damage is 
annosus root rot. It attacks 
and kills pines growing on 
deep, sandy, well-drained 
sites. Typically, annosus root 
rot occurs in thinned 
plantations on old-field sites. 
Treating stumps when the 
trees are cut can retard the 
disease. But once a site is 
infected, annosus is difficult 
to eliminate. 
The most spectacular and 
serious of forest pests in the 
South is the southern pine 
beetle. It destroys 
merchantable-size timber 
and kills large areas of trees 
during epidemics. 
Populations tend to run in 
cycles and can increase or 
decrease sharply from year 
to year. For example, from 
1979 through 1983, this pest 
killed an estimated 614.5 
million cubic feet of loblolly 
and shortleaf pines. Of this, 
about 368.7 million cubic 
feet were salvaged, but much 
of the salvaged sawtimber 
went into pulp or the lumber 
was degraded because of 
stain associated with the 
beetle attack. During those 5 
years, the amount of timber 
killed annually ranged from 8 
million to 236 million cubic 
feet (Hoffard 1985). 
When southern pine beetle 
outbreaks are under way, 
the amount of timber needing 
immediate salvage is often 
greater than what can be 
logged or used at local mills. 
The State forestry 
organization is called upon 
to implement control 
measures and to coordinate 
salvage of dead and dying 
timber. This is a major task 
requiring the cooperation of 
landowners, loggers, mill 
operators, transportation 
facilities, and forest 
managers. In severe 
outbreaks, multi-State 
coordination is necessary. 
Timber markets may be 
disrupted over large areas, 
and salvaged timber is usually 
sold for a low stumpage 
price. Texas and Louisiana 
experienced a very severe 
outbreak in 1985. 
The above pests — fusiform 
rust, annosus root rot, and 
southern pine beetle — are 
only three examples of the 
complexities that the States 
face in pest control. Each 
lends itself to integrated pest 
management, which requires 
the application of good forest 
management practices on 
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