Pine Sawfly Expected To Cause Heavy Damage To Ponderosa Pines In Elbert County
FRANKTOWN, Colo. (CBS4) - A pine sawfly outbreak is projected to once a again wreak havoc on ponderosa pines in Elbert County this year.
The Colorado State Forest Service released a report this week saying many of the pines will suffer another season of moderate to heavy defoliation like was seen last year.
The Forest Service and Fort Collins-based Forest Health Management International conducted egg surveys last fall in this spring to predict "defoliation by the pine sawfly this season, based on counts of egg-infested needles."
The survey will help landowners decide if they need to mitigate potential tree damage.
"This is the first attempt to predict future defoliation by this sawfly species in Colorado," said Dan West, CSFS forest entomologist. "We hope to ultimately generate a model to better predict future outbreaks here in our state."
The pine sawfly is a native insect abundant in the ponderosa pine forests of Elbert and El Paso counties.
To view the full sawfly report, visit www.csfs.colostate.edu/pages/franktowndist.html.