West Virginia’s fish, wildlife and forests are facing a growing threat from invasive pests and diseases, according to the latest forest inventory report by the USDA Forest Service (USDA-FS) and the West Virginia Division of Forestry (WVDOF).

The report shows that West Virginia’s trees are nearly as likely to die from disease, pests and fire as they are to be harvested for timber – a trend that could decrease shade for trout streams and threaten the food supply for the Mountain State’s wildlife. It is also a trend that poses a direct threat to the state’s $3.2 billion-a-year timber industry.

West Virginia University (WVU) Extension Service Wildlife Specialist Bill Grafton said that a wide variety of animals use trees as sources of food. Deer, bear, squirrel and turkey rely heavily on acorns from oak trees, and maples, hickories and black cherry also provide food for wildlife.

Grafton worries particularly about the deer herd, though.

“The deer herd is already well above the carrying capacity,” said Grafton. “They have decimated their own habitat. Browse in the woods is getting pretty scarce. When there’s not enough in the woods to eat, they wind up moving closer to roads and gardens.”

Although natural die-off will eventually restore equilibrium to the deer population, a malnourished herd is more susceptible to disease, which might cause the herd size to fall below the actual carrying capacity, Grafton added.

Commissioner of Agriculture Gus R. Douglass is concerned about the forests and his department’s ability to effectively deal with emerging threats.

“Many people remember the chestnut blight, which wiped out the state’s chestnut trees years ago. We could easily be facing a similar situation with new invasive diseases. More attention should be paid to the pests and diseases that threaten the sustainability of our forests,” said Commissioner Douglass, whose agency is responsible for protecting farms and forests from invasive species.

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture’s Plant Industries Division (PID) has been battling the gypsy moth for nearly 25 years and, more recently, the hemlock woolly adelgid, an insect that attacks hemlocks which provide summertime shade for streams containing heat-sensitive trout. Within the past 10 years, the pest has moved into West Virginia and shows continued southern and westward movement. It can kill trees within four years of infestation.

Although present threats continue to plague the state’s forests, PID Director Dr. Charles Coffman is even more concerned about the invasive species that are looming on the horizon. His division recently worked with USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Plant Protection and Quarantine (USDA-APHIS-PPQ) on a nationwide recall of potpourri products that were infested with insect larvae from India.

“The WVDA’s gypsy moth spraying and the ‘slow-the-spread’ program have been and continue to be very important, but there are numerous invasive species moving in international commerce and others already on American soil that are growing threats to West Virginia’s forests,” said Dr. Coffman.

“From a state funding perspective, we need to broaden our emphasis from the gypsy moth to combating invasive species generally. Everything in USDA-APHIS-PPQ (WVDA’s federal cooperator on regulatory plant protection) is moving toward early detection and rapid response. That way, exotic pests can be identified and quickly contained, avoiding even larger costs once those species are permanently established. If we were hit with another major invasive right now, we wouldn’t have the staff to deal with it,” added Coffman, who also is moderator of the West Virginia Invasive Species Working Group, a consortium of state and federal agencies, colleges and interested organizations.

According to State Forester Randy Dye, tree mortality – roughly 138 million cubic feet – adds up to more than half of the total number of trees harvested annually. Many of those are oaks, which can bring as much as four times more at market than other trees.

“West Virginia is the number two producer of hardwood growing stock in the nation, and about 70 percent of the state’s acreage is populated with oak species,” said Dye. “However, the gypsy moth has taken a substantial toll on the oaks, cutting into mast production for deer and other wildlife in the process.”

Dye added that good forest management practices, including timber harvesting where applicable, should be one of the options considered when combating invasive species.

“A lot of the mortality is caused by certain tree species nearing biological maturity, making them more susceptible to attacks by pests and disease,” Dye said.

Three particularly threatening invasives are the emerald ash borer (EAB), the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) and sudden oak death (SOD).

EAB is most widespread in Michigan and has moved from there to Maryland, Virginia, Ohio and Canada. It can kill ash trees in as few as two years. Eradication efforts are underway in all of the locations.

ALB is currently found only in New York City, northern New Jersey and Chicago, and is thought to have entered the country in packing-crate wood from China. It has been devastating to maples and related species in these locations. Eradication efforts are underway that have already cost millions of dollars.

SOD can kill susceptible oak and other species in two-to-three years. Although the fungus-like microorganism is found only in California and Oregon, it is a danger because it can be carried by nursery stock that is shipped all over the country. It is thought to have been introduced from Europe on rhododendron. It cannot be eradicated, but efforts are underway to try to contain it to the West Coast through state and federal quarantines.

The West Virginia Department of Agriculture protects plant, animal and human health through a variety of scientific, regulatory and consumer protection programs, as mandated by state law. The Commissioner of Agriculture is one of six statewide elected officials in West Virginia. Currently, Commissioner Gus R. Douglass is the longest-serving agriculture commissioner in the nation. For more information, visit www.wvagriculture.org.

Contact: Buddy Davidson
Communications Officer
304/558-3708, 361-9484 (pager)
bdavidson@ag.state.wv.us