Firewood and Pine Trees. A New Deadly Combination in Southern Nevada?

The following is a Release from the U.S. Forest Service and Nevada Division of Forestry regarding a new pest found in firewood in southern Nevada. This pest will leave the firewood and may attack pine trees in southern Nevada, in particular Mondale and Aleppo pines. From the sound of it, infested firewood was brought in from California into southern Nevada. If you think you have purchased some of this wood please contact the Nevada Division of Forestry for more information about what to do.

Goto Nevada Division of Forestry Contact Information in Las Vegas

Goto Mediterranean Pine Engraver Information from USFS

I was alerted by Jeff Knight from NDA that the Mediterranean pine engraver, Orthotomicus erosus (Wollaston), has been positively identified from two locations in southern Nevada. One site was near Blue Diamond and the other was a firewood distributor in Las Vegas.  The identification was confirmed by Jim LaBonte of the Oregon Dept. of Agriculture.  The beetles were trapped in Lindgren funnels with ethanol and alpha pinene as lures.  This represents the first record of this beetle in the U.S. outside of California.  The beetle appears to very aggressively attack stressed trees and rarely attack healthy trees.  The suspected host near Blue diamond is Pinus monophylla, no suspect in for the Las Vegas site yet.  Attached is the USFS Pest Alert for the beetle.  Further investigation of these sites will take place in early Jan. to determine possible hosts and entrance into Nevada. At this time NDA will not pursue any regulatory/quarantine actions, but will be working on educational information on the insect.

More information about the Mediterranean Pine engraver beetle