WESTERN BARK BEETLE RESEARCH GROUP

U.S. Forest Service Reseach & Development

Formation of the Western Bark Beetle Research Group

The last decade has seen elevated levels of bark beetle-caused tree mortality in, among others, spruce forests of south-central Alaska and the Rocky Mountains, lodgepole pine forests throughout its native range, pinyon-juniper woodlands of the southwestern U.S., and ponderosa pine forests of Arizona, California and South Dakota.  Given the high regional significance of these impacts on all values derived from forest ecosystems, the executive leadership of the three western U.S. Forest Service research stations (Pacific Northwest, Pacific Southwest, and Rocky Mountain) proposed a west-wide initiative to strengthen cooperative working relationships among researchers and their many partners.  To that end, the Forest Service R&D Western Bark Beetle Research Group (WBBRG) was created in January 2007  during a meeting in Stevenson, Washington to meet this mandate.  WBBRG is composed of scientists from the Pacific Northwest, Pacific Southwest and Rocky Mountain Research Stations with expertise in bark beetle research, development and application in the West.

Mission and Objectives

The mission of the Forest Service R&D's Western Bark Beetle Research Group (WBBRG) is to serve as an ad hoc umbrella organization aimed at fostering communication, and enriching scientific interactions among Forest Service bark beetle researchers in the western U.S.  WBBRG aims to enhance responsiveness, delivery, and impact of bark beetle research.  WBBRG emphasizes basic and application-motivated research that will enhance our scientific understanding and ultimately solve problems faced by our diverse stakeholders.  We work closely with our cooperators, especially Forest Health Protection, to accomplish our objectives:

• Work with partners and stakeholders to identify western bark beetle research priorities
• Cooperatively pursue priority research, and deliver products
• Promote relevance of western bark beetle research for partners and stakeholders  
• Increase overall quality, productivity, and timeliness of research through cooperation and integration among Stations
• Enhance communication and service to partners and stakeholders

WBBRG Members

Biology, Ecology and Mangement of Western Bark Beetles

Rocky Mountain Research Station and the USDA Forest Service, Logan Utah 84321

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