The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1911-06-23
R.WOODPFCKfR, TREE SURGEON
Curious and Interesting Facts Concerning
Valuable Friend of Msn-ltS VoraciouS
Appetite fnos A. Miles

ATTIC place OF honor IN the United States,
the downy woodpecker is distinguished
as the most usesul bird citizen. OF the
700 kinds Of birds in America, his serv-
ices are most helpful to man. He de-
stroys destructive forest insects. Long
ago nature selected the woodpecker to
be the caretaker-the physician and
surgeon of the tree world. This is a
stupendous task. Forests are extensive
and are formed Of hundreds of species
OF trees. The American woodpeckers
have the supervision of uncounted acres
that are forested with more than 600
kinds of trees.
With the exception of the California
big tree, each tree species is preyed
upon by scores, and many species by
hundreds, of injurious and deadly in
sects. -Four hundred kinds OF insects
are known to prey upon the oak, and a
complete count may show a thousand
kinds. Many of these insects multiply
with amazing rapidity, and at all times
countless numbers of these aggressive
pests form warrior armies with which the
woodpecker must constantly contend.
In this incessant struggle with in
sects the woodpecker has helpful assist
ance from so other bird families. Tho
the woodpecker gives general attention
to hundreds of kinds OF insects, he spe-
cializes on those which injure the trees
internally - which require a surgical
operation to obtain. He is a distin-
guished specialist; the tools for tree
surgery are inhusted to his keeping,
and with these he each year performs
innumerable successful surgical opera
tons upon our friends the trees.
Woodpeckers are as widely distrib-
uted as forests-just how many to the
square mile no one knows. Some local.
tiles are blessed with goodly number,
made up by representatives from three
or four of our "a woodpecker families.
Forest, shade and orchard trees receive
their impartial attention. The annual
saving from their service is enormous;
although this cannot be estimated, it
can hardly be overstated.
A single borer may kill tree-so,
too, may few beetles; while small
number Of weevils will injure and stunt
tree so that it is an easy victim for
other insects. Borers, beetles and wee
wills are among the worst enemies OF
trees. They multiply with astounding
rapidity and annually kill millions OF
scattered trees. Annually, TOO, there are
numerous outbreaks of beetles, whose
depredations extend over hundreds and
occasionally over thousands of acres.
Caterpillars, moths and saw-flies are
exceedingly injurious tree pests, but
they damage the outer parts of the tree.
Both they and their eggs are easily
accessible to many kinds of birds, in
GLIDING the woodpeckers; but borers,
beetles and weevils live and deposit
their eggs in the very vitals of the tree.
In the trees vitals. protected with
heavy barrier of wood or bark, they are
secure ftom the beaks and claws OF all
birds except Doctor Woodpecker, the
chief surgeon OF the forest.
About the only opportunity that other
birds have to feed upon borers and
beetles is during the brief time they
occupy in emerging from the tree that
they have killed, in their flight to some
live tree, and during their brief expos
ure while boring into it.
Beetles live and move in swarms and,
according to their numbers, concentrate
their attack upon single tree or upon
many trees. Most beetles are one OF a
dozen species of Dendroctonus, which
means tree killer. Left in undisturbed
possession of a tree, many mother bee
ties may have half million descendants
in single season.
Fortunately for the forest, Doctor
Woodpecker, in his ceaseless round
of inspection and service, generally dis
covers infested trees. If one wood
pecker is not equal to the situation
many are concentrated at this insect
breeding place. With this place they
remain until the last dweller in dark
ness is reached and devoured. Thus
most beetle outbreaks are prevented.