A healthy forest is quite evident when lush vegetation and abundant wildlife are flourishing in a sustainable ecosystem. Occasionally, adverse conditions and periodic disturbances alter the natural function of a forest. Forest pests such as destructive insects, infectious diseases, invasive plants, incinerating wildfires, and natural disasters can all impact the existence of a thriving forest environment. The Alabama Forestry Commission’s goal is to protect forests from such occurrences by detecting, identifying, and monitoring forest pests and other factors that affect the health of a forest. When threats are discovered, we assist landowners with information and management recommendations.
Insects & Diseases
Forest insects can have a significant impact on the health and mortality of trees. There are different types of insects that will attack trees such as wood borers, bark beetles, defoliators, meristem feeders, and sap consumers. Most native insects are periodic pests, appearing at epidemic levels every several years causing severe harm or mortality. Other factors that increase the risk of an infestation are environmental changes and catastrophic events that damage or stress trees. Non-native invasive insects are usually more aggressive and capable of attacking healthy hosts. Alabama’s most concerning native insects are southern bark beetles. Bark beetles in large numbers will generally appear at the end of a population cycle or after a climatic adverse event attacking pines and causing noticeable mortality.
Forest diseases are not as revealing as forest insects but can be just as destructive to trees. Wood decaying fungi, viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens can invade trees and have a negative effect on health and vigor. Most native forest diseases infect trees that are stressed or damaged from an adverse condition like a drought, storm or wound. Human and animal activities such as mechanical injury or bark scraping of trees also make them susceptible to diseases. Non-native invasive pathogens can infect healthy trees and spread aggressively through host species causing significant destruction to the forest landscape. Severe infections from a pathogen can cause tree mortality.
Insect Information Sheets
Disease Information Sheets
Invasive Species
The introduction and spread of non-native invasive organisms have resulted in the degradation of native forests. The encroachment of these exotic animals, plants, insects, and pathogens can alter native plant composition and disrupt indigenous species regeneration that will ultimately reduce biodiversity. Invasive pests will cause economic and environmental harm to native forests. If not managed, the continuous spread and domination of invasive forest pests can result in the displacement of certain native species to the verge of being threatened, endangered or extinct.