Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1923-09-14
F Orests Must Be Protected
From Insects and DISEASE

lUNH tuSCItS utlu DiSI uSE
1.-The protection of forests and
forest products from insects isl
of scarcely less importance than
their protection from fire" de-
clares the Forest Service, U. S.
Department of Agriculture, in
its bulletin Timber: Mine or
Crop?" recently published.
Losses due to insect attacks
upon living trees aud crude,
finished, and utilized forest pro-
ducts are estin ated by the Bureau
of Entomology, U. S. Depart
ment of Agriculture, at $780,
100000 annually, thus clearly
emphasizing the need of educa-
tional work and the development
of systematic control measures
which now are woefully made
quate, the bulletin states.
SEVERAL VERY SERIOUS DISEASES
The western pine beetle, the
gypsy moth. the chestnut blight,
and the white-pine blister rust
are the most damaging of the
insects and diseases which are
now attacking tie trees and for
est products.
by far the most serious
menace of disease to forest crops
at the present time lies ir-tl e
imported epidemic states I'll.
Forest Service bulletin, THE
blight, imported from eastern
Asia on nursery stock i'll the
nineties. has all but exterminat
ed this useful tree throughout
its northern range. Quarantine:
Of foreign-tree nursery stock, the
only effective means of prevent
ing such diseases, have only re
Gently been put in force.
All together, the most i'm
portant present example of thi:
type of disease is the white-pin,
blister rust. Introduced from
Europe within the past 20 wears
it is now widespread through tn,
northern range Of the eastern
white pine, and has recently beef
found extensively in British
8 Columbia and to limited extern
, in Washington on the western
white pine.
PINE FORESTS SERIOUSLY MENACE
! The very existance of the west
ern white and sugar pine forest
is threatened. Under easter
conditions a financially practi
cable method of local control ha
been worked out which will saw
the eastern white pine in tn
areas of its greatest Commercial
value, but whether these methods
can be adapted to western con
EDITIONS remains to beEdemonstrat
led. During the past four years. il
cooperation with the Northeas
tern and Lake States, a total OF
II, OPS, 1888 acres has been cleared
Of current and gooseberry bushes,
at all average cost of IS cents
per acre, thus protecting the
white pine on this area and max
ing it safe for the future produc-
ton of this valuable CROP"
Cooperative insect control on
large scale is OF present being
undertaken on Federal, State,
and private lands on the Pacific
Coast and Rocky Mountain for
ests where the Bureau of Ento-
mology estimates that the cost
lof bringing the western pine
beetle under control will be less
than Sl50,000 During the past
ten years the stumpage value Of
the trees this insect has killed
runs into many millions of dol
lars, the Forest Service declares
Other insects aud diseases also
take an enormous toll every year,
it is stated, and the cost in dol
lars to fight these damaging
pests would be but a fraction of
the loss they cause.
topics or the bulletin NAV be
s cured free upon application TO
the Forest Supervisor at Har-
risonburg, Va, as long as the
supply lasts.
Miniature Southern Train