Environment DEC
From the October 2006 issue
State Announces Efforts to Control Spread of Sirex Wood Wasp
DEC Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan and State Department of Agriculture and Markets (DAM) Commissioner Patrick H. Brennan recently announced a comprehensive program to help limit the spread of a serious forest health pest which can harm pine forests, the Sirex wood wasp.
An Exotic Invasive Species
The Sirex wood wasp, Sirex noctilio, was first discovered in New York State in a bark beetle trap in September 2004 in the City of Fulton, Oswego County as part of the Cooperative Agricultural Pest Survey (CAPS) program. This exotic invasive species, native to Europe, is suspected of arriving in wood packing material and has now spread into areas of New York State.
Following the detection of the wasp, DEC, DAM, the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and Forest Service (USFS) formed a Sirex Management Team in 2005. The team conducted extensive surveys for the presence of the wasp. Surveys conducted to date have found the wasp in portions of the following 22 counties: Oswego, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, Wayne, Allegany, Erie, Genesee, Jefferson, Livingston, Monroe, Niagara, Oneida, Ontario, Orleans, Schuyler, Wyoming, Yates, Chautauqua, Madison, Broome and Cattaraugus counties.
A Major Pine Pest
Sirex is considered a major pest to native red and white pines, as well as non-native Scots and Austrian pines. The female wasp carries a fungus which it deposits in a host tree as it lays its eggs. The fungus weakens the host tree and can lead to mortality in as little as a few weeks.
The Sirex Management Team is
studying various areas of the
state to determine the extent
of the problem
The Sirex Management Team has developed an action plan to limit the spread of this wasp including: an extensive survey component; bio-control research, including the use of nematodes; a plan to quarantine if necessary to limit the distribution of infested wood products from affected areas; an outreach and education effort, and applied research to better understand the impacts the wood wasp might have on New York's pine resources.
In addition, the Sirex Management Team has coordinated a comprehensive trapping effort which has placed 1,400 traps throughout the state that are regularly monitored by staff between June and October, during which the insects emerge as adult wasps. To date, 37 Sirex Wood Wasps have been collected during the trapping efforts in 2006.
Pest Management Protocols
DEC and DAM have distributed information to the forest products industry outlining protocols and actions industry should take to reduce the probability of infected wood materials being transported to non-infested areas. Additional information on the Sirex wood wasp and recommended protocols can be found at the Sirex Wood Wasp web page on DEC's website (see "Related Links" below).
The Sirex Management Team currently is studying additional issues related to limiting the movement of certain pine wood products from infested areas. Team members have been meeting with the Empire State Forest Products Association (ESFPA) and forestry industry representatives to examine processes used by the forestry industry and determine additional measures that could be taken to mitigate and prevent the spread of this pest. The state also is working closely with the State University of New York's College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) and Cornell University on applied research related to Sirex.
Forest Land Enhancement Funds Available
DEC's Division of Lands and Forests is also offering a portion of available federal Forest Land Enhancement Program (FLEP) funds to private, non-industrial forest landowners to facilitate forest health improvements in pine stands, reducing their susceptibility to Sirex infestation. Interested land owners can find out more about this program at the FLEP Financial Assistance for Forest Landowners web page, or by contacting DEC's regional forestry offices (see "Related Links" below).
The state is also targeting areas for surveying within the state forest system, which will help determine the extent of this pest's presence on state-owned forest lands, and its impact on the state's pine resources. This is important because much of the state's red and scots pine resources are located on maturing plantations on state forests.
If You Suspect an Infestation
Please contact DEC's forest health staff in the Bureau of Private Land Services at 518-402-9425 if you suspect a possible Sirex infestation.
