The Texas Forest Service employs a staff of professional forest pest/forest health specialists who provide assistance and solutions to forest and urban tree pest problems.

Forest Pest Management was established in 1962 to deal with an increasing southern pine beetle problem in southeast Texas. The southern pine beetle is the most destructive forest insect pest in the southern United States.

Over the years, Forest Pest Management’s responsibilities have expanded beyond southern pine beetle to include survey, evaluation, applied research and technology transfer on all major forest insects and diseases in the state. Most forest pest problems that are dealt with occur in the commercial forest of the East Texas “pineywoods.” In addition, Forest Pest Management personnel administer a cooperative project in central Texas to suppress oak wilt, a tree disease that kills live oaks and other oaks in over 60 counties. In 1996, Forest Pest Management initiated the Western Gulf Forest Pest Management Cooperative (now Forest Pest Management Cooperative) to provide leadership and guidance to forest industry on forest pest issues (For an overview of the Coop, see http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?id=4588 ). Finally, Forest Pest Management personnel deal with exotic invasive plants and insects that could threaten the state’s forest resources.

Forest Pest Management has three professional forest entomologists, two in Lufkin and one in College Station, as well as an experienced support staff. Forest health specialists are also located in several Central Texas locations where they deal primarily with oak wilt but provide assistance with other pest problems. So, when forest pest problems arise, don’t forget that assistance is readily available from Forest Pest Management. Feel free to “bug” them! The Pest Management specialists can be contacted in Lufkin at (936) 639-8170, College Station at (979) 458-6650, Austin at (512) 339-4589 or through any local Texas Forest Service field office.