Morin et al.: 1 March 31, 2004 United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service Mapping Host Species Abundance of Selected Exotic Pests in the Eastern United States Northeastern Research Station Research Paper NEDate 2004 Randall S. Morin, Andrew M. Liebhold, Eugene R. Luzader, Andrew J. Lister, Kurt W. Gottschalk, and Daniel B. Twardus Morin et al.: 2 March 31, 2004 Abstract Forests of the eastern United States seem to be particularly vulnerable to forest pest invasions having suffered devastating effects by notorious forest pests such as chestnut blight, gypsy moth, and beech bark disease over the last century. In this study we used existing data to predict the geographical extent of future damage caused by three exotic pests. The three alien pests considered here were beech bark disease, an insect-fungus complex involving the beech scale insect (Cryptococcus fagisuga) and the exotic canker fungus Nectria coccinea var. faginata or the native Nectria galligena, hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae), and gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar). The geographic distributions of host species of the three pests were mapped in 1 km2 cells by interpolating host basal area per ha from 93,611 forest inventory plots located throughout the eastern U.S.A. These interpolated surfaces were adjusted for forest density by multiplying values by an estimate of forest density derived from existing land cover map data (30 m2 cells). These maps of host species abundance can be used in the future to plan efforts to mitigate damages caused by these three exotic pests. Acknowledgements We would like to thank the USDA Forest Service Special Technology Development Program for funding the project. Morin et al.: 3 March 31, 2004 The Authors RANDALL S. MORIN is research analyst, ANDREW M. LIEBHOLD is research entomologist, EUGENE R. LUZADER is computer specialist, and KURT W. GOTTSCHALK is research forester with the USDA Forest Service’s Northeastern Research Station. Morin, Liebhold, Luzader and Gottschalk are located in Morgantown, West Virginia. ANDREW J. LISTER is research forester with the USDA Forest Service’s Northeastern Research Station in Newtown Square, PA. DANIEL B. TWARDUS is forest health specialist with Northeastern Area, State and Private Forestry, in Morgantown, West Virginia. Cover The map on the cover is an estimated surface of percent forest cover. Manuscript received for publication _____________. USDA FOREST SERVICE NEWTOWN SQUARE CORPORATE CAMPUS 11 CAMPUS BLVD., SUITE 200 NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA 19073 ???, 2004 Morin et al.: 4 March 31, 2004 First-Grade Headings Introduction Methods Results Discussion Literature Cited Morin et al.: 5 March 31, 2004 Second-Grade Headings Beech Bark Disease Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Gypsy Moth Morin et al.: 6 March 31, 2004 Introduction Invasions by exotic insects and diseases are one of the most important threats to the stability and productivity of forest ecosystems around the world (Liebhold et al. 1995a, Vitousak et al. 1996, Pimentel et al. 2000). The forests of the eastern U.S.A. seem to be particularly vulnerable to these invasions; over the last century they have suffered devastating effects by notorious forest pests such as chestnut blight, gypsy moth, and beech bark disease (Mattson 1997) with cascading effects throughout invaded ecosystems (Redman and Scriber 2000). One of the most important steps in the development of effective strategies for management of alien species is to evaluate the risk of future impacts from specific exotic organisms (Reichard and Hamilton 1997, Byers et al. 2002). The generic activity, “risk assessment” is considered an important component to management of exotics both before and after their arrival in new habitats (Liebhold et al. 1995a). A risk assessment for an alien species that has not yet been established typically is comprised of three components: 1) estimates of the probability of arrival and subsequent establishment in the alien habitat; 2) estimates of the geographical extent that the species is likely to achieve in it’s new habitat; and 3) estimation of the ecological, economical, and sociological impact that is likely to be caused by the species. When an alien species has already become established but is still expanding its range, step 1 is obviously not necessary. Morin et al.: 7 March 31, 2004 Maps representing the geographic extent of estimated future disturbance caused by exotic pests are a critically important part of risk assessment (Rouget et al. 2002). Prediction of disturbance risk in forest ecosystems is often limited both by the lack of data and models for predicting the geographic extent of impacts caused by specific pest species. In this paper, we addressed this deficiency by developing statistical models that predict forest pest host species abundance from interpolated forest inventory plots distributed across the eastern United States. The three alien pests considered here were beech bark disease, an insect-fungus complex involving the beech scale insect (Cryptococcus fagisuga) and the exotic canker fungus Nectria coccinea var. faginata or the native Nectria galligena, hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae), and gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar). These species have become established in North America and are currently expanding their ranges. These estimates of host species abundance will be useful for both long-range planning of population management activities and implementing cultural practices to minimize impacts. Beech bark disease, also known as beech scale Nectria canker, is an insect-fungus complex involving the beech scale insect (Cryptococcus fagisuga) and the exotic canker fungus Nectria coccinea var. faginata or the native Nectria galligena that kills or injures American beech (Fagus grandifolia) (Houston 1994). The disease results when a Nectria fungus infects the bark through feeding wounds caused by beech scale insects. Around 1900, the beech scale insect was accidentally introduced to Nova Scotia from Europe. It has since spread southwestward into New England, New York, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia (Manion 1991). Fungal invasion occurs about 3 to 5 years after the scale insects Morin et al.: 8 March 31, 2004 appear. Extensive mortality often occurs in the year that Nectria becomes evident; some trees may survive for several years. The hemlock woolly adelgid is a destructive exotic insect pest of forest and ornamental hemlock trees. It was first observed in the United States in the 1950s in Virginia. In the eastern USA, hemlock woolly adelgid feeds only on the foliage of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) and Carolina hemlock (Tsuga caroliniana), a less common species of hemlock found in isolated areas of the southern Appalachians. Heavy infestations have killed trees in as little as four years, but some trees have survived infestations for more than 10 years (McClure et al. 2001). The gypsy moth was accidentally introduced in 1868 or 1869 near Boston, Massachusetts, and outbreaks began to occur in the area about 10 years later (Liebhold et al. 1992). The range of the gypsy moth has been gradually expanding, and defoliating populations are typically found 5-6 years following establishment in a new area (Liebhold et al. 1994, Sharov and Liebhold 1998). The gypsy moth is a polyphagous insect. North American populations feed on over 300 different shrub and tree species, and there is considerable variation among tree species in their susceptibility to defoliation (Leibhold et al. 1995b). The most preferred gypsy moth hosts are in the genera Quercus, Populus, and Larix. Gypsy moth is an outbreak pest species that has been acknowledged as the most destructive forest defoliating insect in the United States (Davidson et al. 1999, Sharov et al. 2002). Morin et al.: 9 March 31, 2004 Methods The geographic distributions of suitable habitats for beech bark disease, hemlock woolly adelgid, and the gypsy moth were mapped by interpolation of host species abundance estimated from 93,611 forest inventory plots located throughout the eastern U.S. The data were extracted from the Eastwide Database (Table 1), which at the time the project was executed was the most recent available source of USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis data for the 37 states in the study. Host abundance for beech bark disease was measured as basal area/ha of American beech, host abundance for hemlock woolly adelgid was measured as basal area/ha of eastern and Carolina hemlock, and host abundance for gypsy moth was measured as the total basal area/ha of tree species preferred by gypsy moth. A host species was considered preferred if it had a high preference rating (Liebhold et al. 1995b). We used the ordinary kriging procedure (Deutsch and Journel 1998) to interpolate a surface of basal area/ha for the host species of each disease or insect. Kriging is a geostatistical method that provides estimates for unsampled locations by computing weighted averages of sampled values from nearby locations (Isaaks and Srivistava 1989, Cressie 1993). The weights are determined based on the semivariogram, a statistical model of the relationship between spatial autocorrelation and distance between pairs of sampled values. In this analysis, we generated maps from the plot data by calculating kriged estimates on a grid of 1x1 km cells. Variography and kriging were performed using the GSLIB software library (Deutsch and Journel 1998). Morin et al.: 10 March 31, 2004 Forest susceptibility maps were then adjusted for forest density. During the period of data collection for this study, the FIA plots were in effect located randomly, and tree data were in general only collected in forested areas. Therefore, it was necessary to adjust host abundance estimates in each cell for the proportion of the cell area that was forested. This was accomplished using a region-scale land cover dataset (National Land Cover Data) that was acquired from the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium as a raster matrix of 30x30 m cells that were classified based on their land cover (http://www.epa.gov/mrlc/nlcd.html) (Vogelmann et al. 2001). These data were aggregated to a 1x1 km resolution to estimate percent forest cover for each cell (Figure 1). Next, the kriged host abundance maps were multiplied by the forest density map to generate forest susceptibiltiy maps adjusted for percent forest cover. When combined with current range maps, the host density maps allow the current range and potential range of these three exotic pests to be estimated (Table 2). A 1 km2 pixel was included in the range estimates if it was estimated to contain any host basal area. Results Beech Bark Disease American beech basal area/ha was estimated (Figure 2) and then mulitiplied by the forest density map (Figure 1) to create a beech abundance map adjusted for forest density (Figure 3). The greatest concentration of beech is in the Adirondack Mountain region of New York though smaller concentrations existed in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, West Virginia, and northern Pennsylvania. Beech also exists at very low levels over a Morin et al.: 11 March 31, 2004 large range extending through most forested regions of the eastern U.S.A. The current range and historical spread of the beech scale insect is shown in Figure 4. Our estimates indicate that beech bark disease currently occupies only about 27% of its potential range (Table 2). Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Hemlock basal area/ha was estimated using ordinary kriging (Figure 5) and then mulitiplied by the forest density map (Figure 1) to create a hemlock abundance map adjusted for forest density (Figure 6). Hemlock is widely distributed throughout the northeastern U.S. and the northern portion of Michigan and Wisconsin. Elsewhere, its distribution is limited to the higher elevations of the Appalachian Mountains. The current range and historical spread of hemlock woolly adelgid is shown in Figure 7. Our estimates indicate that hemlock woolly adelgid currently occupies nearly 26% of its potential range (Table 2). Gypsy Moth Basal area of species preferred by gypsy moth was estimated using ordinary kriging (Figure 8) and then mulitiplied by the forest density map (Figure 1) to create a preferred species abundance map adjusted for forest density (Figure 9). Of the three pest species, gypsy moth hosts were the most widely distributed. In addition, maximum host densities (>20 m2/ha) were much higher than hosts for the other two species. The current range and historical spread of gypsy moth is shown in Figure 10. Our estimates indicate that hemlock woolly adelgid currently occupies only 23% of its potential range (Table 2). Morin et al.: 12 March 31, 2004 Discussion The planning of forest pest management activities can be significantly improved with reliable mapped estimates of future disturbances. The methods developed here and maps of host abundance presented here should prove useful for future efforts of this nature. Specifically, these maps may be used to help guide land managers make decisions about where pest surveys and silivicultural manipulations should be located. Beech bark disease has already invaded those areas with the greatest concentration of beech but vast portions of the range of beech remain to be invaded in the future. In fact only about 27% of the native range of beech has been invaded (Table 2). American beech is most abundant in the Adirondacks and in the central and northern Appalachians. Elsewhere it is widely distributed at low levels throughout the northeast and southeast US. The fact that beech is still abundant in many regions where beech bark disease has already invaded illustrates that while it can cause considerable mortality, beech bark disease generally does not totally eliminate beech from stands (Houston 1994, Morin et al. 2001). The estimated American beech abundance map (Figure 3) highlights eastern Kentucky, northern Ohio, and northern Indiana as the highest risk areas that are currently uninfested. In contrast to beech bark disease, hemlock woolly adelgid has only recently begun to move into areas with a large eastern hemlock component. Only about 26% of the native range of eastern and Carolina hemlock have been invaded (Table 2). Estimated hemlock Morin et al.: 13 March 31, 2004 abundance was highest in a large portion of New England, as well as New York and northern Pennsylvania (Figure 6). Gypsy moth is currently occupying less than one-quarter of its favorable habitat. The currently uninfested areas that have the highest densities of host species are western Virginia, southwestern West Virginia, north-central North Carolina, and eastern Minnesota (Figure 9). A limitation that might affect the accuracy of this information is that host species abundance is a major factor that determines susceptibility, but it is not the only factor that determines vulnerability of a forest to a pest. For example, local site characteristics, such as climate and soils (e.g. Houston and Valentine 1977), also affect forest susceptibility. The methodologies employed thus represents a first approximation of host species abundance and these methods can be elaborated in the future to generate improved host species abundance maps for these and other pests. Literature Cited Andow, D.A.; Kareiva, P. M.; Levin, S.A.; Okubo, A. 1990. Spread of invading organisms. Landscape Ecology 4: 177-188. Bailey, R.G. 1995 Description of the ecoregions of the United States. USDA Forest Service Misc. Pub. 1391, 2nd ed., 108 p. Morin et al.: 14 March 31, 2004 Byers, J.E.; Reichard, S.; Randall, J.M.; Parker, I.M.; Smith, C.S.; Lonsdale, W.M.; Atkinson, I.A.E.; Seastedt, T.R.; Williamson, M.; Chornesky, E.; Hayes, D. 2002. Directing research to reduce the impacts of nonindigenous species. Conservation Biology 16: 630-640. Cressie, N.A.C. 1993. Statistics for Spatial Data. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. Davidson, C.B.; Gottschalk, K.W.; Johnson, J.E. 1999. Tree mortality following defoliation by the European gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar L.) in the United States: a review. Forest Science 45: 74-84. Deutsch, C.V.; Journel, A.G. 1998. GSLIB: Geostatistical Software Library and User’s Guide, Second Edition. Oxford University Press, New York. Houston, D.R. 1994. Major new tree disease epidemics: beech bark disease. Annual Review of Phytopathology 32: 75-87. Houston, D.R.; Valentine, H.T. 1977. Comparing and predicting forest stand susceptibility to gypsy moth. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 7: 447-461. Isaaks, E.H.; Srivastava, R.M. 1989. An Introduction to Applied Geostatistics. Oxford University Press, New York. Morin et al.: 15 March 31, 2004 Levin, S.A. 1989. Analysis of risk for invasions and control programs. In: Drake, J.A.; Mooney, H.A.; di Castri, F.; Groves, R.H.; Kruger, K.J.; Rejmánek, M.; Williamson, M. (Eds.), Biological Invasions: A Global Perspective. Wiley, Chichester, pp. 425-435. Liebhold, A.M.; Halverson, J.A.; Elmes, G.A. 1992. Gypsy moth invasion in North America: a quantitative analysis. Journal of Biogeography 19: 513-520. Liebhold, A.M.; Rossi, R.E.; Kemp, W.P. 1993. Geostatistics and geographic information systems in applied insect ecology. Annual Review of Entomology. 38: 303-327. Liebhold, A.M.; Elmes, G.A.; Halverson, J.A.; Quimby, J. 1994. Landscape characterization of forest susceptibility to gypsy moth defoliation. Forest Science 40: 18-29. Liebhold, A.M.; Macdonald, W.L.; Bergdahl, D.; Mastro, V.C. 1995a. Invasion by exotic pests: a threat to forest ecosystems. Forest Science Monographs 30: 49 p. Liebhold, A.M.; Gottschalk, K.W.; Muzika, R.; Montgomery, M.E.; Young, R.; O’Day, K.; Kelley, B. 1995b. Suitability of North American tree species to the gypsy moth: a summary of field and laboratory tests. USDA Forest Service Gen. Tech. Rep. NE-211, 34 p. Morin et al.: 16 March 31, 2004 Liebhold, A.M.; Gottschalk, K.W.; Luzader, E.R.; Mason, D.A.; Bush, R.; Twardus, D.B. 1997. Gypsy moth in the United States: an atlas. USDA Forest Service Gen. Technical Rep. NE-233, 33 pp. Manion, P.D. 1991. Tree Disease Concepts, Second Edition. Prentice Hall Career & Technology, Upper Saddle River, NJ. Mattson, W.J. 1997. Exotic insects in North American forests – ecological systems forever altered. In: Proceedings of Exotic Pests of Eastern Forests. USDA Forest Service & TN Exotic Pest Plant Council, Nashville, TN., pp. 187-193 McClure, M.S.; Salom, S.M.; Shields, K.M. 2001. Hemlock woolly adelgid. USDA Forest Service FHTET-2001-03, 14 p. Morin, R.S.; Liebhold, A.M.; Gottschalk, K.W.; Twardus, D.B.; Acciavatti, R.E.; White, R.L.; Horsley, S.B.; Smith, W.D.; Luzader, E.R. 2001. Forest health conditions on the Allegheny national forest (1989-1999): analysis of forest health monitoring surveys. USDA Forest Service Northeastern Area Tech. Pap. NA-TP-04-01, 68 p. Pimentel, D.; Lach, L.; Zuniga, R.; Morrison, D. 2000. Environmental and economic costs of nonindigenous species in the United States. BioScience 50: 53-65. Morin et al.: 17 March 31, 2004 Redman, A.M.; Scriber, J.M. 2000. Competition between the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, and northern tiger swallowtail, Papilio canadensis: interactions mediated by host plant chemistry, pathogens, and parasitoids. Oecologia. 125: 218-228. Reichard, S.H.; Hamilton, C.W. 1997. Predicting ivasions of woody plants introduced into North America. Conservation Biology 11: 193-203. Rouget, M.; Richardson, D.M.; Nel, J.L.; Van Wilgen, B.W. 2002. Commercially important trees as invasive aliens – towards spatially explicit risk assessment at a national scale. Biological Invasions 4: 397-412. Sharov, A.A.; Liebhold, A.M.; Roberts, E.A. 1997. Spatial variation among counts of gypsy moths (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) in pheromone-baited traps at the expanding front. Environmental Entomology 25: 1312-1320. Sharov, A.A.; Liebhold, A.M. 1998. Model of slowing the spread of the gypsy moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) with a barrier zone. Ecological Applications 8: 11701179. Sharov, A.A.; Leonard, D.; Leibhold, A.M.; Roberts, E.A.; Dickerson, W. 2002. “Slow the spread”: a national program to contain the gypsy moth. Journal of Forestry 100: 30-35. Morin et al.: 18 March 31, 2004 Shigesada, N.; Kawasaki, K. 1997. Biological Invasions: Theory and Practice. Oxford University Press, New York. Shigesada, N.; Kawasaki, K.; Takeda, Y. 1995. Modeling stratified diffusion in biological invasions. American Naturalist 146: 229-251. Skellam, J.G. 1951. Random dispersal in random populations. Biometrika 38: 196218. Souto, D.; Luther, T.; Chianese, B. 1996. Past and current status of HWA in eastern and Carolina hemlock stands. In: Salom, S.M., Tignor, T.C., Reardon, R.C. (Eds.), Proceedings of the First Hemlock Woolly Adelgid Review, USDA Forest Service, Morgantown, WV, pp. 9-15. Vitousek, P.M.; D’Antonio, C.M.; Loope, L.L.; Westbrooks, R. 1996. Biological invasions as global environmental change. American Scientist 84: 468-478. Vogelmann, J.E.; Howard, S.M.; Yang, L.; Larson, C.R.; Wylie, B.K.; Van Driel, N. 2001. Completion of the 1990s National Land Cover Data Set for the conterminous United States from Landsat Thematic Mapper data and ancillary data sources. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing 67: 650-684. Morin et al.: 19 March 31, 2004 LIBRARY CARD Morin, Randall S.; Liebhold, A.M.; Luzader, E.R.; Lister, A.J.; Gottschalk, K.W.; Twardus, D.B. 2004. Mapping Host Species Abundance of Selected Exotic Pests in the Eastern United States. Res. Pap. NE-???. Newtown Square, PA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northeastern Research Station, ??? p. Forests of the eastern United States seem to be particularly vulnerable to forest pest invasions having suffered devastating effects by notorious forest pests such as chestnut blight, gypsy moth, and beech bark disease over the last century. In this study we used existing data to predict the geographical extent of future damage caused by three exotic pests through 2025. The three alien pests considered here were beech bark disease, an insect-fungus complex involving the beech scale insect (Cryptococcus fagisuga) and the exotic canker fungus Nectria coccinea var. faginata or the native Nectria galligena, hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae), and gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar). The geographic distributions of host species of the three pests were mapped in 1 km2 cells by interpolating host basal area per ha from 93,611 forest inventory plots located throughout the eastern U.S.A. These interpolated surfaces were adjusted for forest density by multiplying values by an estimate of forest density derived from existing land cover map data (30 m2 cells). These maps of host species abundance can be used in the future to plan efforts to mitigate damages caused by these three exotic pests. Keywords: beech bark disease; hemlock woolly adelgid; gypsy moth Morin et al.: 20 March 31, 2004 Table 1. Year and number of forest inventory plots in each eastern state State Year # of Plots Alabama 1990 3575 Arkansas 1995 3090 Connecticut 1985 283 Delaware 1986 134 Florida 1995 3822 Georgia 1997 5789 Illinois 1998 1586 Indiana 1986 1976 Iowa 1990 636 Kansas 1994 1548 Kentucky 1988 1921 Louisiana 1991 2233 Maine 1995 2587 Maryland 1986 672 Massachussets 1985 371 Michigan 1993 9933 Minnesota 1990 11553 Mississippi 1994 2960 Missouri 1989 4664 Nebraska 1994 428 New Hampshire 1983 586 New Jersey 1987 251 New York 1993 2850 North Carolina 1990 4558 North Dakota 1995 265 Ohio 1991 1587 Oklahoma 1993 862 Pennsylvania 1989 2964 Rhode Island 1985 117 South Carolina 1993 3358 South Dakota 1980 46 Tennessee 1999 2348 Texas 1992 1925 Vermont 1989 619 Virginia 1992 3600 West Virginia 1989 2491 Wisconsin 1996 5423 Morin et al.: 21 March 31, 2004 Table 2. Current and potential ranges of beech bark disease, hemlock woolly adelgid, and gyspy moth (areas in sq. km.) Potential area Current area of % Pest of host habitat infested host habitat infested beech bark disease 1,589,744 sq. km. 434,548 sq. km. 27.3 hemlock woolly adelgid 714,426 sq. km. 182,942 sq. km. 25.6 gypsy moth 3,637,478 sq. km. 851,753 sq. km. 23.4 Morin et al.: 22 March 31, 2004 FIGURE LEGENDS FIGURE 1.--Map of percent forest density from NLCD data FIGURE 2.--Kriged map of estimated American beech basal area FIGURE 3.--Kriged map of estimated American beech basal area adjusted for forest density FIGURE 4.--Map of beech bark disease range (2003) FIGURE 5.--Kriged map of estimated hemlock basal area FIGURE 6.--Kriged map of estimated hemlock basal area adjusted for forest density FIGURE 7.--Map of hemlock woolly adelgid range (2003) FIGURE 8.--Kriged basal area map of species preferred by gypsy moth FIGURE 9.--Kriged basal area map of species preferred by gypsy moth adjusted for forest density FIGURE 10.--Map of gypsy moth range (2003) Morin et al.: 23 March 31, 2004 Figure 1 Morin et al.: 24 March 31, 2004 Figure 2 Morin et al.: 25 March 31, 2004 Figure 3 Morin et al.: 26 March 31, 2004 Figure 4 Morin et al.: 27 March 31, 2004 Figure 5 Morin et al.: 28 March 31, 2004 Figure 6 Morin et al.: 29 March 31, 2004 Figure 7 Morin et al.: 30 March 31, 2004 Figure 8 Morin et al.: 31 March 31, 2004 Figure 9 Morin et al.: 32 March 31, 2004 Figure 10