The Division of Forest Pest Management is responsible for protecting forestland from insects, diseases, and other factors affecting forest health. The division promotes programs designed to improve or maintain the health and biodiversity of forest ecosystems. The division's mission is accomplished by evaluating factors affecting the health of trees and forests; utilizing integrated pest management techniques to mitigate the effects of factors on the forest ecosystem; and promoting forest health to the public and forest user community.

Field Operations Section

The Field Operations Section is responsible for monitoring biotic and abiotic factors that affect forest health. Various projects are implemented for the suppression, prevention, detection, diagnosis, investigation, and evaluation of forest health problems. These include pest surveys, implementation of forest pest suppression programs, biological control programs, tree mortality surveys, long-term monitoring projects for significant forest pest effects, coordination of annual forest pest surveillance flights over all forestland in the state, and conducting forest pest damage appraisals. The section also participates in multi-disciplinary/multi-agency field studies, coordinates forest health monitoring system data acquisition, and the training of field personnel.

Program Services and Support

The Program Services and Support Section is responsible for administering the division's federal grants for insect pest suppression, biological control, and forest health surveys. Section staff prepares environmental assessments associated with pest suppression and control activities, and is responsible for the development and transfer of technological innovations. The section develops and disseminates informational materials on forest pests/damage, provides forest pest/damage identification services, maintains a digital image database of forest pests/damage, a collection of forest pest/damage specimens, and a storage and retrieval database for pest occurrence records. The Section is responsible for coordinating statewide forest pest suppression projects involving the application of pesticides on private forested residential lands, state forestlands, state parks, and other non-federal public lands. Programs are planned, organized, supervised, and evaluated both before and after treatment to determine environmental impacts and efficacy. Projects are conducted in cooperation with federal and county government agencies. In conjunction with suppression projects, spray application technology and pest spray materials are tested, and management recommendations are developed to promote the establishment of pest resistant stands.

Insect & Disease Pests of Pennsylvania
Forest Health Fact Sheets
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
Gypsy Moth
Invasive Threats to Pennsylvania

2009 Annual Pest Conditions Report - Adobe PDF (2.6 Mb)

2008 Annual Pest Conditions Report - Adobe PDF (3.5 Mb)
2007 Annual Pest Conditions Report - Adobe PDF (380 Kb)

Past editions of the FPM newsletter:

December, 2006 - Adobe PDF (2.7 Mb)
September, 2006 - Adobe PDF (1,291 Kb)
June, 2006 - Adobe PDF (1,218 Kb)
March, 2006 - Adobe PDF (818 Kb)
December, 2005 - Adobe PDF (1,201 Kb)
September, 2005 - Adobe PDF (691 Kb)
June, 2005 - Adobe PDF (1,012 Kb)
March, 2005 - Adobe PDF (1,272 Kb)
December, 2004 - Adobe PDF (1,648 Kb)
September, 2004 - Adobe PDF (932 Kb)
July, 2004 - Adobe PDF (976 Kb)
March, 2004 - Adobe PDF (528 Kb)
December, 2003 - Adobe PDF (882 Kb)
October, 2003 - Adobe PDF (1,377 Kb)
July, 2003 - Adobe PDF (1,574 Kb)
March, 2003 - Adobe PDF (1,377 Kb)
December, 2002 - Adobe PDF (1,077 Kb)
September, 2002 - Adobe PDF (1,173 Kb)
June, 2002 - Adobe PDF (976 Kb)