The Southern Pine Beetle and Pine Forest Ecosystems

Dendroctonus frontalis, the southern pine beetle (SPB), is a highly destructive species of bark beetle that inhabits pine forests in the southern United States and parts of Central America. @6D In natural pine forests, the ecological role of the SPB presumably is to hasten the demise of weak or damaged trees, perhaps creating kindling for fires that contribute positively to the long-term health of the forest ecosystem. In commercial forests and developed residential areas, SPBs are responsible for hundreds of millions of dollars in timber losses annually. Compounding the problem is the fact that the value of salvaged timber is reduced due to staining by a “blue-stain” fungus, one of several symbiotic organisms associated with the SPB.