Help Save Ocean County's Pine Barrens

The Ocean County Pine Barrens are under threat from the southern pine beetle.

The survey estimated that southern pine beetle affected a record 14,100 acres in 2010. Since 2001, the beetle has affected 26,000 acres of South Jersey pine forests, or about 6 percent of the all pine trees.

Southern pine beetle adults bore into a tree's bark, and lay eggs within S-shaped galleries they create. As the beetles create their egg galleries, they chew up the cambial layer of the tree, which cuts off the tree's supply of water and nutrients. The eggs hatch into larvae which also feed on the cambial layer.

An infested tree's needles will rapidly turn from green to yellow to brown, in as little as two weeks following initial attack. Newly attacked trees also may have soft, popcorn-sized, yellow-white sap pitch tubes found on the tree trunk. The southern pine beetle prefers pitch pine, but will attack most pine species.

Research has indicated that an SPB outbreak occurred in southern NJ in 1939. There has not been another known outbreak in the Garden State until fall of 2001.
It is theorized that the late 1990's drought, interstate commerce and above average temperatures occurring in the Mid-Atlantic region have contributed to the SPB migrating northward to New Jersey. The forest environment under stress increased the susceptibility to SPB attack. After establishing a presence in the Garden State, the beetles, attracted to pheromones of other beetles and the scent of trees in stress, fly to infest new trees.

Preferred Hosts
The SPB's naturally ranges from Pennsylvania to Florida. The SPB attacks all species of pines, but prefers pitch, shortleaf, pond, and loblolly, which all occur in southern NJ. Initial SPB damage appears as yellow progressing to red and eventually brown within 1 to 2 months. Infested pine trees die within 3-4 months of initial attack.

Fire Danger
Needles falling off the branches land on understory vegetation creating a fuel ladder effect, which facilitates wildfires reaching the tree crowns. Trees that may still have dry dead needles on the branches could quickly erupt and wildfire could grow to conflagration proportions.

The Southern Pine Beetle(SPB) Dendroctonus frontalisis a forest pest that attacks stands of pine trees in New Jersey. The New Jersey Forest Service has seen a dramatic increase of SPB infestations in Atlantic, Cape May, Ocean, and Cumberlands Counties in 2010.

Report a beetle sighting
Southern Regional office         Trenton office
(609) 625-1124                     (609) 292-2531

Karl Hess, Keller Williams Jersey Shore