Forest Health

Our forest health program focuses on the status, trends, and future of forest conditions. We assess forest health issues like insects, diseases, and invasive species that affect the sustainability of forest ecosystems.
pine trees in a forest

All Resources on Forest Health

  • Invasive species cause many negative impacts to the Texas landscape, from the displacement of native trees to potentially killing entire species. Because of their widespread impact, Texas A&M Forest Service takes great lengths to help mitigate their impacts and is highlighting those efforts during National Invasive Species Awareness Week. Invasive species have two main characteristics: […]
  • Oak wilt is one of the deadliest tree diseases in the United States, killing millions of trees across 76 Texas counties. Texans can help prevent it from spreading by avoiding pruning or wounding oak trees from February through June.      “Prevention is key to stopping the spread of oak wilt,” said Demian Gomez, Texas A&M Forest […]
  • Texas A&M Forest Service is offering landowners financial and technical assistance through the Southern Pine Beetle cost-share program.
  • The forests of East Texas are thriving, thanks to modern forestry practices and a strong forest-products economy.
  • Texas A&M Forest Service is now accepting applications for the 2021 Southern Pine Beetle (SPB) Prevention Cost-Share Program.
  • February 2021 will be remembered by Texans and by our trees as the year of the “Deep Freeze”.
  • It has been almost six months since winter storm Uri blanketed Texas in a week-long freeze and, despite ample rain, many Texas trees are still showing signs of stress.
  • Over a week after severe winter weather in East Texas, many landowners may just now be seeing signs of freeze damage to forest trees with concern that trees may not make it.
  • UPDATE 4/17/2020 – State forests to reopen Monday, April 20, 2020, after temporary closure amid coronavirus pandemic.
  • Eligible forest landowners can receive financial and technical assistance by helping reduce the threat of Southern Pine Beetle (SPB) infestations and outbreaks.
  • Texas A&M Forest Service and local fire departments remind people operating equipment outdoors to be aware of current conditions to help reduce wildfires. Over the past week, Texas A&M Forest Service firefighters responded to six wildfires ignited by equipment use.
  • The Winona Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) increased its capacity with a 2,100-gallon water tanker through a $200,000 Rural Volunteer Fire Department cost-share grant through Texas A&M Forest Service. “The primary use for this new tanker will be shuttling water to maintain a constant supply when fighting wildland and structure fires,” said Fire Chief Jared Jones. […]
  • A forester with Texas A&M Forest Service was honored with the Bronze Smokey Bear award during today’s Southern Group of State Foresters annual meeting in Mobile, Alabama.
  • Funds are now available for forest landowners near the Sam Houston National Forest through the Joint Chiefs’ Landscape Restoration Partnership. This partnership between USDA Forest Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Texas A&M Forest Service looks
  • Texas A&M Forest Service surveyed the 2,312 acres of the Hidden Pines Fire that burned outside the 2011 Bastrop County Complex fire boundary. This area encompasses part of Buescher State Park, private and public property. The state agency estimates that 143,000 out of 233,000 trees were killed in this area, including those likely to die as a result of the wildfire. This translates into a potential $1.8 million loss in ecosystem services — a value placed on the annual social, economic and environmental benefits the trees provided the area before the fire.
  • Taking care of America’s lands and natural resources is a big job. No single organization can do it alone. Knowing that we are stronger together — the USDA Forest Service has entered into a Good Neighbor Authority agreement with Texas A&M Forest Service to help conserve,
  • FREER, Texas ––Freer Volunteer Fire Department received an excess military vehicle to convertinto a firefighting apparatus through the DoD Firefighter Property Program implemented byTexas A&M Forest Service. “We are out in a sparse area, and we didn’t have sufficient water supply when fighting brush fires,”Fire Chief James Finney said. “All we had was a small […]
  • ENGRAVER BEETLE ACTIVITY ON THE INCREASE IN EAST TEXAS With the prolonged drought that many areas of the east Texas piney woods are experiencing, an increase in Ips or engraver beetle activity is occurring. Engraver beetles are small, brown to black, cylindrical insects that attack and kill pine trees by feeding and laying eggs in […]
  • The southern pine beetle (SPB), Dendroctonus frontalis, has earned its reputation as the most destructive pest of commercial pine forests in East Texas. From 1958 through 1997, SPB outbreaks occurred every 6-9 years, with peaks in 1962, 1968, 1976, 1985, and 1993 (Fig. 1). The worst outbreak on record in East Texas occurred in 1985, […]
  • Aphids, sometimes called plant lice, feed by sucking sap from their host plant. They come in various forms. Winged, not winged, small, large.  Giant bark aphids are large. They’re found in most states in the eastern half of the country. In Texas, they are present in low numbers throughout the year but occasionally increase in […]
  • To protect our state’s forests and woodlands, we diagnose forest pests and diseases.  Pests such as cogongrass, emerald ash borer, laurel wilt, oak wilt, and others may require advanced level diagnosis. Take the following steps to diagnose forest pests and diseases.  
  • Juniper budworms are native insects that have had recent outbreaks in Central Texas. The small, green larvae attack the tips of Ashe juniper, also known as cedar trees, webbing the foliage together, which then turns red or brown.  The juniper budworm was first described by A. R. Grote in 1873 from a specimen collected in […]
  • The most damaging sawfly in Texas is the redheaded pine sawfly, Neodiprion lecontei. Sawflies are a diverse group of insects that defoliate hardwood and coniferous trees in the U.S., and several are native to Texas.   Contrary to their name, sawflies aren’t true flies. They belong to the Hymenoptera family, along with bees and wasps, although […]
  • Pales weevil, Hylobius pales, and pitch-eating weevil, Pachylobius picivorus, are commonly referred to as “pine regeneration weevils” because of the damage they cause to pine seedlings during the regeneration of a pine stand.   Adults of each species commonly feed on the cambium (growth-tissue) of year-old seedlings but will feed on older seedlings and saplings.   […]
  • Pine webworm, Tetralopha robustella, is a forest pest found throughout the eastern U.S., wherever pines grow. Its common name comes from the habit of the larvae. They weave clusters of pine needles together into a silken nest. These nests protect the larvae from many natural enemies.   In Texas, pine webworm frequently feeds on loblolly, shortleaf, […]
  • Pine tip moth, Rhyacionia spp., is a major forest pest across the U.S.   The Nantucket pine tip moth, R. frustrana, or Comstock, is the most common and economically impactful in the South.   They are most easily identified by the gray scales covering all of their body, except for the forewings, which are covered with brick-red […]
  • The Texas leaf-cutting ant, Atta texana, is one of the most damaging pests in newly established pine plantations. It affects recently planted pine in 129 Texas counties, 13 Louisiana parishes, and can be devastating to citrus groves in South Texas.   Also known as town ant, parasol ant, or cut ant, the Texas leaf-cutting ant is […]
  • Imperial moth caterpillar  The caterpillar, or larvae, of the imperial moth does not have a common name. It is called the imperial moth caterpillar.   It can reach a length of four inches and is about the size of the average person’s thumb. Imperial moth caterpillars come in two colors, green and dark brown. They are […]
  • When prolonged drought occurs in East Texas, especially during the growing season, pine beetle activity is likely to increase.  You can expect to experience a significant drought at least once during the life of a pine pulpwood stand and potentially twice during a sawtimber rotation. Pine trees growing in shallow soils or with high concentrations […]
  • Pine engraver, or Ips beetles, are three related species of beetle that eat into the bark and cambium of pine trees who have been stressed through disturbances like drought, intense fire, or hail. Very old trees are also more susceptible to attack.  Unlike the southern pine beetle, they rarely kill trees by themselves. Instead, they […]
  • When there is an ice storm or sudden freeze, your property’s trees might be adversely affected.  The most common form of damage is branch loss. The sudden additional weight of snow or ice can be enough to cause weaker limbs or sometimes the entire tops of trees to snap off and fall.   If a freeze […]

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