redbay ambrosia beetle

N.C. Forest Service collaborates with USDA Forest Service to monitor the spread of laurel wilt

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Since 2002, nearly all redbay trees have been disappearing in areas south of North Carolina. First detected in Georgia, the nonnative redbay ambrosia beetle, Xyleborus glabratus, carried these redbay trees to their dooms by introducing a deadly fungus. While the redbay ambrosia beetle is only about 1/16 inch long, it packs quite a punch against … Read more

The health of our forests: 2017 year-in-review

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Every year, the beautiful forests of our state are at risk from ominous threats.  Native insects come and go in significance, but the threat from invasive insects is only increasing with time. Some, such as the hemlock woolly adelgid and the emerald ash borer, have the potential to wipe out an entire group of trees in … Read more