1. MITIGATING FOREST HEALTH IMAPCTS THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS
CHANGING ROLES

2. OUTLINE Forest Health Definition Common Forest Health Threats
Kentucky Forest Health
Partnerships

3. DEFINITION Forest health definition is variable
Depends upon management objectives
Biodiversity, production, specific wildlife species
Several common factors regardless

4. DEFINITION Example definitions: An ecosystem in balance
The ability of a forest to recover from natural and human stressors
A condition where biotic and abiotic influences on forests do not threaten management now and in the future

5. DEFINITION
Most definitions fail to describe the variation in importance of definition components
Alternative definition:
The degree to which biotic and abiotic influences affect forest management
Make more specific according to how a forest is managed

6. FH CHARACTERISTICS Biodiversity Sustainability
Ability to recover from stressors
Complexity

7. DEFINITION Understanding forest health is understanding ecology
Understanding what is in a forest
What forest components need to do well
The threats to forest components

8. HEALTHY FOREST BENEFITS
Water quality
Reduced impact from wildfire
Recreation, Income
Everyone wants the benefits of trees

9. These are all forest health issues

10. COMMON FOREST HEALTH THREATS

11. HABITAT LOSS Conversion of forest to another use Wide ranging effects:
- forest health
- water quality
- wildlife

12. HABITAT LOSS Can lead to fragmentation:
Breaking of habitat into smaller pieces
- create a loss of connectivity
- reduce effective range of species
- increase area of interface for invasives

13. FRAGMENTATION Increases where and how stress affects the forest stress

14. PESTS Acute - impact very quickly Very dynamic
Lack of resources & hard to keep up with
New pests lack good information
emerald ash borer
southern pine beetle

15. DISEASE Complex biology Difficult to diagnose Lack of good information
Fewer trained as forest pathologist compared to entomologist, botanist, etc.
sudden oak death

16. INVASIVE PLANTS Chronic Get used to them, sometimes ignored
Don’t appear as dynamic as insect
Get used to them, sometimes ignored
Seem overwhelming
Invasive plants currently in use
tree of heaven
kudzu

17. TREND FOR BIOTICS MNGMNT
Most attention paid to insects
Little attention in planning for chronic vs acute effects
Perception of problem varies

18. POLLUTION Effects often chronic
Solutions require much collaboration and accomplished over extended periods of time
Air & water – exchanging effect
Direct impacts on multiple groups of organisms

19. MANAGEMENT DECISIONS Lack of knowledge Lack of resources
Understanding – planting one species in forest or urban areas
Available information
Lack of resources
Have to pick between needed actions

20. KENTUCKY FOREST HEALTH

21. EMERALD ASH BORER Asian borer that only uses ash trees
Urban and forest pest
Multiple groups working together to understand this insect

24. HEMLOCK WOOLLY ADLEGID
Slow decline of hemlocks
Urban and forest pest
Significant ecosystem threat

26. Invasive plant data comes from too few sources

27. Good information but sometimes only source

28. Small change in field procedure may create additional data source

30. CHALLENGES FOR MANAGEMENT
Not enough resources in forest situation
Lack of available information
Lack of education
Everyone can’t be an expert on everything
Impacts on nearby landowners
Risks can prevent management actions

31. PARTNERSHIPS

32. PARTNERSHIPS FH should be a concern for any manager
Many of the same factors affect every forest
FH impacts are broad reaching
Good practices can be positive influences
One agency’s pest can spread to other agencies
A situation can lead to public support or wrath

33. PARTNERSHIPS Save Kentucky’s Hemlocks
Hemlock groups in other states
Multi-agency restoration projects
Collaborative land purchases

34. PARTNERSHIPS Kentucky Forest Health Task Force (FHTF)
Southern Group of State Foresters FHTF
Local collaboration

35. TAKE HOME MESSAGE Forest Health is everyone’s problem
Problem for forested and urban areas
Current and future impacts require collaboration to proceed successfully

36. REFERENCES
Slide 4 - Edmonds, R.L., J.K. Agee and R.I. Gara Forest Health and Protection. Waveland Press Inc.
Slides 14 & 21 - Fengyou Jia, DCNR PA, Bugwood.org
Slide 14 - Ronald F. Billings, TX Forest Service, Bugwood.org
Slide 15 - Joseph O'Brien, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org
Slide 16 - Catherine Herms, OSU, Bugwood.org
Slide 16 - Kerry Britton, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org