LI/Southern Pine Beetle Tracker

[the_other_guy]

Surprised this isnt up here yet. Due to climate change, a beetle is destroying pine trees in Eastern LI.

The Climate has warmed enough that the bug can now survive.

Pine trees in the south are immune to it, but LI Pine Trees are not. 

 

[gravitylover]

Damn. I guess I need to go spend some time out in the pine barrens, it's been way too long and now it's just a matter of time before they're forever changed. 

[Cfa]

I’ve seen entire stands of pines just outright dead, where the only thing green are any oaks that may be present, this is especially true around OKX/Brookhaven National Lab where I’ve seen them being cut down. I’m sure all the dead wood is just enhancing the risk of wildfires, these extended dry periods aren’t any help.

Pretty much every native pine here is a preferred host for the Southern Pine Beetle unfortunately, it makes sense given these trees are native to the South as well. The Shortleaf Pine, a mostly southern species that’s nearly extirpated from Long Island, has been decimated by the Southern Pine Beetle in parts of the South.

[TWCCraig]

The Southern Pine Beatle has been wreaking havoc on Pitch Pines, which is the dominate native pine tree found on Long Island and in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, for a couple years now. The drought last summer really amplified the destruction and the warm winter last year didn't kill off any bugs, so this summer was set for another round of outbreaks. Activists have criticized the NYDEC for not doing enough and there maybe some validity to that. While efforts to combat the bug have stepped up over the past year, some feel that the state has been neglecting these conservation areas far too long. Precautionary measures include prescribed fires and early removal of trees that are under stress, potentially from the bug. Some of these outbreaks have gotten so bad that it's too late in some spots. It's just another unfortunate thing, the pine barrens out east remind me of the south, places like the Carolinas that have tons of pine trees. Would hate to see that go away

[psv88]

Tons of dead pine trees out by Montauk, really terrible to see

[coastalplainsnowman]

On 9/10/2023 at 3:00 PM, the_other_guy said:

Surprised this isnt up here yet. Due to climate change, a beetle is destroying pine trees in Eastern LI.

The Climate has warmed enough that the bug can now survive.

Pine trees in the south are immune to it, but LI Pine Trees are not. 

 

Honest question - how does a type of tree acquire immunity to a beetle?

[jm1220]

On 9/11/2023 at 10:09 PM, psv88 said:

Tons of dead pine trees out by Montauk, really terrible to see

Drove out by Moriches to Riverhead today, saw the large patches of dead pines. This is mostly from the beetle? 

[psv88]

2 hours ago, jm1220 said:

Drove out by Moriches to Riverhead today, saw the large patches of dead pines. This is mostly from the beetle? 

No idea. 

[the_other_guy]

It is very acute along the LIE from 68 east. And very bad along Willam Floyd near the lab and Route 25