Loblolly pine tree resin flow defense and mortality during an induced Ips beetle infestation

Abstract: Bark beetle outbreaks can be devastating to pine stands. Baiting trees with lps pheromones within isolated sections of fertilized and unfertilized plots in a Pinus taeda plantation in Aiken, South Carolina will allow for quantifying the relationships between number of baits, beetle attack densities and tree mortality using a regression experimental approach. Additionally, resin flow is the primary defense against attacking bark beetles for Pinus taeda; therefore, linking constitutive and induced resin flows to beetle attack density and tree mortality during an active bark beetle attack contributes to the understanding of ecosystem dynamics within this system.