B.F. Bachelor of Forestry Forest Entomology and Pathology 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'forest entomology' concerned with?
- The study of birds and mammals in forest ecosystems
- The study of insects and their relationships with forest trees and ecosystems (Correct answer)
- The chemical treatment of forest soils for pest control
- The genetic improvement of trees for insect resistance
Correct answer: The study of insects and their relationships with forest trees and ecosystems
Forest entomology is the branch of forestry that studies insects affecting forest trees, including identification, ecology, damage assessment, and management.
Question 2: Which bark beetle species is most notorious for causing widespread pine mortality in the western United States?
- Emerald ash borer (Agrilus planipennis)
- Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) (Correct answer)
- Hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae)
- Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar)
Correct answer: Mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae)
The mountain pine beetle has killed billions of pine trees across the western US and Canada, particularly during the 2000s epidemic driven by drought and warming temperatures.
Question 3: What is the primary damage caused by the emerald ash borer (EAB) in the United States?
- It defoliates ash trees, reducing photosynthesis
- It girdles ash trees by destroying the phloem and cambium beneath the bark, killing the tree (Correct answer)
- It attacks ash root systems causing windthrow
- It causes a lethal fungal disease in ash wood
Correct answer: It girdles ash trees by destroying the phloem and cambium beneath the bark, killing the tree
EAB larvae feed on phloem and cambium tissue beneath the bark, girdling the tree and disrupting water and nutrient transport, eventually killing it.
Question 4: What is 'defoliation' by insects and what is its effect on trees?
- Insects removing bark and exposing wood
- Insects consuming foliage, reducing the tree's ability to photosynthesize and potentially causing mortality (Correct answer)
- Insects boring into wood and weakening the stem
- Insects spreading fungal spores through galleries
Correct answer: Insects consuming foliage, reducing the tree's ability to photosynthesize and potentially causing mortality
Defoliation is the removal of leaves by insects, reducing photosynthetic capacity, weakening the tree, and potentially causing mortality after repeated severe events.
Question 5: What is 'integrated pest management' (IPM) in forest entomology?
- Using only chemical pesticides to control all forest insects
- A strategy combining biological, cultural, mechanical, and chemical methods to manage pest populations economically and sustainably (Correct answer)
- Importing predatory insects from other countries to eliminate pests
- Quarantining infested forests until pest populations decline naturally
Correct answer: A strategy combining biological, cultural, mechanical, and chemical methods to manage pest populations economically and sustainably
IPM is a decision-based approach that integrates multiple pest control tactics to manage pests below economically or ecologically damaging levels while minimizing environmental impact.
Question 6: What is 'forest pathology' concerned with?
- The study of forest soils and nutrient cycling
- The study of diseases affecting forest trees, including causes, development, and management (Correct answer)
- The analysis of growth rings to reconstruct climate history
- The legal aspects of forest pesticide application
Correct answer: The study of diseases affecting forest trees, including causes, development, and management
Forest pathology focuses on the causes, development, effects, and management of diseases in forest trees, including fungal, bacterial, viral, and abiotic disorders.
B.F. Bachelor of Forestry Forest Entomology and Pathology 1
What is 'forest entomology' concerned with?