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WESTERN PINE BEETLE.— In Oregon and. Washington the western nine "beetle 
( Dend.ro c tonus brevicomis Lee.) continues to be the primary agent of insect- 
caused depletion of ponderosa pine. However, the situation in 1941 was markedly 
improved over that of the last few years. Heavy infestations were very much 
localized, rather than general, in the two States and the trend of the losses 
was downward from those of 1940. Except for the Warm Springs Indian Reserva- 
tion, where a small maintenance-control project in connection with a C. C. C. 
camp was again undertaken, there were no area„s demanding direct control meas- 
ures. (J, M. Whiteside, Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, U. S. D. A.) 
SOUTHERN PINE BEETLE. — In 1940 this insect continued to be destructive and 
killed considerable pine, principally shortleaf, Virginia, and pitch, in the 
mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee, particularly in the Pisgah National 
Forest and in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Only a fev; small kills 
were observed in the mountains and in the Piedmont of the Carolinas in 1941, 
thus indicating a marked decrease in bark-beetle populations. (C. H. Hoffman, 
Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, U. S. D. A.) 
BLACK HILLS BEETLE, — Infestation by the Black Hills beetle ( Dendroctonus 
ponder osae Honk.) continued at a generally low ebb in the central and southern 
Rocky Mountain region with the exception of northern Utah. On the Powell 
National Forest intensive control work conducted during the winter of 1940-41 
cleaned up the infestation on all. except one small, area that had to be left un- 
treated because the severe winter delayed spring treating. . On. the Wasatch 
National Forest in northern Utah, approximately 18,000 infested lodgepole pines 
were cut during the winter of 1940-4l. This work resulted in a substantial 
reduction on the treated area.s. The fall survey showed approximately 4l,000 
infested lodgepole pines on the Wasatch and 7»500 on the adjoining Ashley 
National Forest. Serious infestation on the. latter forest was evident this year 
for the first time in recent years. Large control projects, are now being con- 
ducted against both the Ashley and the Wasatch infestations, (R. L. Furniss, 
Bureau of Entomology and Plant Quarantine, U. S. D. A.) 
BARK BEETLES- — Recent surveys have shown that in the general total the 
volume of timber killed by bark beetles in California declined measurably dur- 
ing 194l. However, this trend does not apply to all species of beetles nor to 
all areas. The largest reduction of timber losses came in ponderosa pine as a 
result of decline in western pine beetle populations. This condition occurred 
for the most part on timber on the poorer sites where losses have been heavy 
in recent years. Areas where lossos 5 years a.go ran as high as J>00 board feet 
per acre show losses for 1941 of less, than 50 board feet per acre; however, 
in some of the better sites, where losses have .been negligible in recent years, 
a spectacular grouping of western pine beetle atto.cks occurred in 194l. Most 
of this occurred in widely isolated groups of 15 to 2 5 trees and did not result 
in heavy losses, . 
Contrary to this trend, the Jeffrey pine beetle, which is responsible for 
severe losses in Jeffrey pine in northeastern California, continued the momen- 
tum of its recent infestations. Certain o.reas in the Plumas National Forest 
recorded 1941 losses of J>00 board feet per acre. The mountain pine beetle, 
attacking sugar pine on the better sites, showed in general a decline similar 
to that of the western pine beetle. Various reasons have been ascribed as the 
cause of this decline. One explanation is the period of improved precipitatior 
