Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in Forestry

Abstract

Until about 10 years ago, pest management in forestry was practiced much like fire management. When insects, diseases, pocket gophers, competing vegetation, or other pests increased to outbreak levels, forest managers geared up and put the so-called fire out. However, over the past few years, forest managers have been changing their pest management philosophy from a reliance on direct suppression of pests when they reach damaging levels to an integrated (or IPM) approach to preventing or reducing the resource damage caused by pests. In 1980, an evaluation of Forest Service pest management programs by the Center for Natural Areas concluded that even though forest managers did not fully understand IPM terminology and policies, they were doing an adequate job of implementing the concepts of IPM, but calling it something else. What Is IPM? The Forest Service Manual defines IPM as "a systematic decision-making process and the resultant management actions which