A Review Of Sampling Procedures Available For Ipm Decision-Making Of Forest And Shade Tree Insects In North America

Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs attempt to reduce insect associated losses to acceptable levels using multiple techniques that are effective, economically viable, and ecologically compatible. Sampling is the cornerstone of any IPM program, and significant effort has been devoted to the development, theory, and application of sampling methods. Relatively few IPM programs exist for managing forest and shade tree pests despite the availability of sampling procedures that are potentially useful for control decision-making. The majority of these sampling procedures are published on defoliating insects (58% of all publications). The most commonly referenced defoliators are the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar (L.); Douglas-fir tussock moth, Orgyia pseudotsugata (McDunnough); spruce budworm, Choristoneura fumiferana (Clemens); and western spruce budworm, C. occidentalis Freeman. These four species alone account for 35% of all sampling publications relevant to IPM programs. The second largest group is bud, shoot, and root insects (16%) followed closely by wood- and bark-boring insects (11%). The piercing­sucking feeding group (10%) and seed and cone insects (5%) have relatively few sampling procedures available. Ninety-two percent of the species represented are predominately forest pests, with the order Lepidoptera and family Tortricidae most commonly reported. A significant opportunity exists for developing similar tools to aid in control decision-making for a large number of other pests. Current trends suggest that efforts should concentrate on species important to the urban forest and intensively managed forest plantations.