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Did you know that Louisiana has an emergency beetle control commission?

Posted on by Vaseline

Wesley Muller
| LOUISIANA ILLUMINATORS

Lawmakers in the Louisiana House of Representatives are forming an emergency commission to address widespread beetle attacks on pine trees in the state and the public safety concerns raised by the problem.

It’s not the English pop band they’re worried about, state Rep. Mike Johnson said in a phone interview Tuesday. It’s actually a more serious issue and one that poses a risk to the ecosystem, property and people, he said.

Tiny bark beetles, namely the Ips engraver and southern pine species, have killed millions of trees in Louisiana and Mississippi after a severe drought last year weakened forests and made them susceptible to the insect. The beetle attacks are particularly problematic in the central and northern regions of the state, Johnson said.

Johnson is convening a House Emergency Beetle Subcommittee next week, which he chairs. The panel will hear from forestry, agriculture and legal experts to consider all available options to address the bark beetle threat, including an emergency declaration, Johnson said.

“It’s terrible,” the Pineville lawmaker said. “It’s hitting farmers, but it’s hitting homeowners and business owners.”

The panel will also explore sources of emergency funding to help homeowners who can’t afford to hire an arborist to cut down infested trees, which can often cost more than $1,000, Johnson said.

Members of the weevil family, bark beetles are between an eighth and a quarter inch long. They usually target pine trees, but occasionally will attack other conifers. The insects tunnel through the bark and live inside the tree, attacking its vascular system and robbing it of water and nutrients until the tree collapses and dies, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

“They go from treetop to treetop and can kill a tree pretty quickly,” Johnson said. “Every tree within about 150 feet is probably infected.”

When a beetle finds a suitable tree to feed on, it releases a pheromone that serves as a signal for other beetles to head to the same spot, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Trees that are killed or severely weakened by a beetle attack are more likely to fall, even without storms. This is particularly dangerous for residents who have pine trees on or near their homes.

On April 10, a Pineville woman died after a tree fell on the camper she was living in during a thunderstorm, the Louisiana Department of Health said.

“It was one that was full of these beetles,” Johnson said.

The beetle attacks also pose a risk to utility and public works companies, which often work under or near large branches and leaning trees, he said.

Officials are encouraging residents and workers to watch for signs of bark beetle attacks on trees. Common symptoms may include brown or discolored pine needles in the crown or upper half of the tree, small bore holes in the outer bark, sawdust collected in crevices or at the base of the tree, and small popcorn-like masses of sap called “pitch tubes” on the tree trunk.

The Emergency Beetle Subcommittee meets Tuesday at 9:30 a.m. at the Louisiana State Capitol.

— The Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization dedicated to shedding light on how decisions are made in Baton Rouge and how they impact the lives of ordinary Louisiana residents, particularly those who are poor or otherwise marginalized.