Arkansas Entomologist Testifies Before U.S. Senate on Forest Health

WASHINGTON — Fred Stephen, professor and interim head of the department of entomology at the University of Arkansas, described the link between forest health and severe outbreaks of insect infestation to a U.S. Senate committee reviewing the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HR 1904), passed recently by the U.S. House of Representatives.

Stephen conducts research in forest entomology for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station. He testified before the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee June 26 on behalf of the Society of American Foresters.

"Large outbreaks of insects are largely a result of the unhealthy conditions of our forests," he said. "Statistically, in an average year, insects and diseases cause more tree mortality than fires and storms."

In his testimony, Stephen said, "Currently throughout our country, forests in all ownerships are affected by unprecedented and catastrophic insect outbreaks. These outbreaks can have certain dramatic consequences including economic loss, increased risk of wildfire in certain areas of the country, increased risk to human safety, and change in forest structure and composition that may diminish aesthetic and ecological values."

Stephen reviewed severe outbreaks of insect infestation that are occurring in forests all over the country, including southern pine beetles across most southeastern states and red oak borer in Arkansas and neighboring states. He said the SAF encourages Congress to support continued research and dissemination of information to help restore the health and safety of forests in the U.S.

"Forest managers need to be able to apply the information and knowledge developed through research to manage and protect the nation’s forests from such catastrophic, uncharacteristic outbreaks as we are currently experiencing," he said.

Stephen’s testimony can be found (along with that of other witnesses) on the Web at http://agriculture.senate.gov/Hearings/witnesslist.cfm?id=824. Information on forest entomology research at the U of A Division of Agriculture can be found on the Web at http://www.uark.edu/~fstephen/new/indexfiles/index.html.