Session 4 – Forest Health
| Time | Topic | Instructor |
| 6:00 – 6:10 | Introduction and Welcome | Joshua Cardin, WSU Extension |
| 6:10 – 7:00 | Forest Health – Bugs n Crud | Dana Brennan, DNR Entomologist |
| 7:00 – 7:10 | BREAK | BREAK |
| 7:10 – 8:25 | Forest Health – Bugs n Crud | Dana Brennan, DNR Entomologist |
| 8:25 – 8:30 | Concluding remarks | Joshua Cardin, WSU Extension |
Speaker Contact Info
Dana Brennan, DNR Entomologist, (509)-680-0658, dana.brennan2@dnr.wa.gov
Joshua Cardin, WSU Extension Coordinator, (509)-308-8224, joshua.cardin@wsu.edu
Learn More & Start Drafting Your Plan
Reccommended Readings and Activites:
- Walk through your woods and observe your forest with forest health in mind. Take pictures and notes of the following:
- Overcrowded stands where tree crowns are touching and in stressed conditions.
- Areas of blow-down and fallen trees. How many trees are fallen and what species are they? What direction did the trees fall? How did they fall (uprooted, stem break, etc.)?
- Areas of damaged tops (from wind, snow, or ice)
- Evidence of drought damage
- Other signs of forest health issues (insect evidence, disease evidence, animal damage, dwarf mistletoe, etc.)
Start drafting the Overview, Insects and Diseases, and Environmental Factors subsections of Forest Health/Wildfire/Invasive Species section (Resource Category 1) of your plan. Use the Forest Health Examples as a guide. Try to identify any priority issues and steps to take to address them. You will likely need to wait for your site visit to confirm any diagnosis and finalize this session. Note: the invasive species and fire risk portions of this section will be addressed later in the course.
Recommended readings for further learning
- Assessing Tree Health
- Common Tree Diseases of British Columbia
- Field Guide to the Common Diseases and Insect Pests of Oregon and Washington Conifers (PDF)
- Recognizing Sapsucker Damage to Your Trees
- Seasonal Foliage Discoloration and Loss in Pacific Northwest Evergreen Conifer trees
Connect Online
Check out these additional resources that are available to you online:
- Browse the Forest Service’s Region 6 Forest Health website.
- Browse the animal damage, forest diseases, and forest insects sections of the WSU Extension Forestry resources webpage. Pick a specific insect and/or disease to read about in more detail.