Establishing southern pine beetle hazard from aerial stand data and historical records [Dendroctonus frontalis]

An approach is described for developing southern pine beetle stand hazard ratings from historical outbreak information and existing stand data or data easily acquired from aerial photographs. Six equations are presented and compared on the basis of the greatest likelihood of infestation on a given unit of land. The model that produced the best results was based on the assumption that as many as 2.5 infestations/100 ha of stand type may occur as the result of factors which are unrelated to site and stand conditons. The results of these evaluations and their relationship to determining the suitability of these or other rating systems to other geographical areas are discussed.