February, '23] graham & ruggles: economic entomology and forestry 53 
But have we not been neglecting one field of economic entomology 
that is surely deserving of more consideration than it has received? 
That is the field of forest entomology. A handful of men have given 
their lives to this phase of insect work but their numbers have been so 
few and the problems with which they were confronted have been so 
tremendous that they are only now just beginning to make real progress. 
Most of the so called forest entomological work has not been conducted 
by economic entomologists interested primarily in forest problems, but 
by a group of men whose primary interest lay in other directions. These 
men for one reason or another were led to take up forest entomology as 
a side issue. Very naturally their work has been largely along the lines 
of taxonomy and life histories and they have made valuable contributions 
to these phases of the subject. Unfortunately, these workers set the 
fashion for forest entomology workers. Under such conditions is it 
any wonder that so few forest insects can be controlled? The farmer 
and the horticulturist have their insect insurance in the form of effective 
and economical protection methods, but the forester in spite of his dire 
need is left to gamble with fate and take his chances with insect pests 
of which he knows little or nothing. 
The destruction of trees does not seem to disturb many entomologists. 
As a rule they are able to look with placid equanimity upon the whole¬ 
sale destruction of vast forests. Losses which would have awakened 
the whole country to action, had they been in farm crops have been passed 
almost unnoticed. What forest insect has ever created half the excite¬ 
ment among entomologists as has the recently introduced pest, the 
European Com Borer? If the gipsy moth had been primarily a forest 
insect would there now be a gipsy moth laboratory? 
Were economic entomologists much disturbed when the outbreak of 
the larch sawfly destroyed over 60 percent of the merchantable tam¬ 
arack in the vast area extending from Minnesota eastward to the At¬ 
lantic coast? A few entomologists made a good beginning in the 
study of the problem but we are still in no better position to control 
or prevent the next outbreak, which is sure to come, than we were in 
1905. From estimates in Minnesota it appears that in this state alone 
the larch sawfly killed tamarack equivalent to over 1,000,000,000 ft. 
board measure, and almost 50,000,000 posts, poles and ties. At present 
stumpage rates this represents a cash loss of approximately $5,000,000.00 
for the state of Minnesota. The loss in the entire range of the eastern 
larch can only be a matter of conjecture but doubtless it totals many 
millions of dollars. Considering the vast extent of the range of this 
