Louisiana legislature convenes emergency panel after bark beetle attack

Louisiana House lawmakers are convening an emergency panel to deal with widespread beetle attacks on pine trees across the state and the public safety concern posed by the problem.

It’s not the English pop band they’re concerned about, state Rep. Mike Johnson said in a phone interview Tuesday. It’s actually a more serious issue and one that poses a risk to the ecosystem, property and people, he said.

Tiny bark beetles, namely the Ips engraver and southern pine varieties, have been killing millions of trees across Louisiana and Mississippi after a severe drought last year left forests and woods weakened and susceptible to the insect. The beetle attacks have been particularly problematic in the central and northern regions of the state, Johnson said.

Johnson is convening a House Emergency Beetle Subcommittee, which he chairs, next week. The panel will hear from forestry, agriculture and legal experts to consider all available options to counter the bark beetle threat, including an emergency declaration, Johnson said.

“It’s a terrible thing,” the Pineville lawmaker said. “It’s affecting [timber] farmers but also homeowners and business owners.”

The panel will also explore sources of emergency funding to assist homeowners who can’t afford to hire a tree trimmer to take down affected trees, which can often cost over a thousand dollars, Johnson said.

Members of the weevil family, bark beetles are between one-eighth and a quarter-inch in length. They mostly target pine trees but occasionally go after other conifers. The insects tunnel through the bark and live inside the tree, attacking its vascular system and robbing it of water and nutrients until the tree falls and dies, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

“They go from tree-top to tree-top and can kill a tree fairly quickly,” Johnson said. “Any tree within about a 150-foot radius is likely to be infected.”

When one beetle finds a suitable tree to eat, it will release a pheremone that serves as a signal locator for other beetles to join the same location, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

Trees that are killed or severely weakened by a beetle attack are more likely to fall, even without stormy weather. This is particularly dangerous to residents who have pine trees on or near their homes.

On April 10, a Pineville woman was killed after a tree fell onto the camper she was living in during a thunderstorm, according to the Louisiana Department of Health.

“It was one that was infested with these beetles,” Johnson said.

The beetle attacks also pose a risk to utility workers and public works crews who are often working under or near large tree limbs and leaning trees, he said.

Officials encourage residents and workers to look for signs of bark beetle attacks in trees. Common symptoms can include brown or discolored pine needles at the crown or top half of the tree, tiny bore holes in the outer bark, sawdust collected in crevices or at the base of the tree, and small popcorn-like masses of sap, called “pitch tubes,” on the tree trunk.

The Emergency Beetle Subcommittee will meet at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Louisiana State Capitol.

— The Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization driven by its mission to cast light on how decisions are made in Baton Rouge and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians, particularly those who are poor or otherwise marginalized.