How do I know if my pines have southern pine beetles?

The Georgia Forestry Commission lists pitch tubes and boring dust (frass) on the bark as signs of attack. Crowns fading from green to yellow to red are another clue.

Should I spray for pine beetles?

The Forestry Commission says insecticides are generally not recommended for controlling pine beetle spots. Its recommended controls are cut-and-remove or cut-and-leave with a buffer strip.

Do I need county approval to remove beetle-killed trees?

Article 27 says individual homeowners do not need arborist approval to remove dead and diseased trees. Larger removals use a route requiring written advice from the Extension Service, Forestry Commission or an ISA Certified Arborist and notice to the county arborist.

Pine Beetle Tree Removal in Cherokee County, GA: Signs, Buffers and County Rules

What the Georgia Forestry Commission says to look for

The southern pine beetle is the pest Cherokee County's tree ordinance names when it describes situations where large areas of removal may be appropriate. The Georgia Forestry Commission describes signs of attack on the outside of a tree as pitch tubes and boring dust, known as frass, caused by beetles entering the tree. Pitch tubes are small blobs of resin on the bark; frass collects in bark crevices and at the base of the trunk.

A fading crown is the other clue. The Commission says needles turn pale green to yellow to red, then brown. It also cautions that trees under drought stress may not produce pitch tubes when attacked, which is why the other signs matter. The beetle kills trees by building winding S-shaped egg galleries under the bark that girdle the tree. If you see pitch tubes or fading crowns on several pines in a group, get an expert opinion rather than wait.

Why outbreaks spread, and why timing matters

The Forestry Commission says survey data show southern pine beetle outbreaks in Georgia tend to be cyclic: Piedmont populations increase to epidemic levels every six to ten years and Mountain region outbreaks about every twelve years, both influenced by drought. The Commission describes infestations as spots with an active, leading edge, and its control advice is built around that edge.

That is why removing only the brown trees is rarely the whole answer. The Commission's control options both require cutting uninfested trees around the leading edge of the active infestation, so a forester or provider will usually look for that edge before deciding what to cut. Drought years deserve extra attention, since the Commission links outbreaks to drought.

Control: cut-and-remove, cut-and-leave, and the buffer strip

The Forestry Commission describes two main control methods. Cut and remove means felling infested trees and taking them off the site, and the Commission notes it can include other areas for thinning or harvest. Cut and leave means felling infested trees and leaving them, which can include piling and burning if necessary. Both options must include cutting a buffer of uninfested trees around the leading edge, with a width greater than or equal to the height of the infested trees.

The Commission says chemical control with insecticides is generally not recommended for suppressing southern pine beetle infestations. For a single high-value yard tree, ask an expert about options, but for groups of infested pines, the established approach is to cut. When the wood leaves the site as a sale, the county ordinance notes that timber harvests or sales must be reported on Georgia Department of Revenue form PT-283T.

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Cherokee County's route for infested trees

Article 27 handles this directly. It says arborist approval is not required for individual homeowners to remove dead and diseased trees. It then recognizes that large areas of removal, including southern pine beetle infestation, may be appropriate outside the normal exemptions. Upon the written advice of the County Extension Service, the Georgia Forestry Commission or an ISA Certified Arborist, and a finding of disease or insect infestation, the county arborist may authorize removal to prevent trees falling, prevent injury to life or property, and prevent fuel build-up for forest fires.

Before removal under that route, the owner or developer must notify the arborist, identify the location of the infested property, and submit the written finding of the independent arborist, Extension Service or Forestry Commission. If you own acreage rather than a house lot, that paperwork is worth starting early. See the Cherokee County tree ordinance for the full exemption list.

Debris from a beetle removal

A beetle job can produce a lot of wood fast. If the trees are merchantable, salvage may offset some cost; if not, the wood is chipped, hauled or, outside the summer ban, burned under the right permit. The Forestry Commission requires a permit for land-clearing burns, and Georgia EPD's summer ban prohibits those burns in Cherokee County from May 1 through September 30.

Hand-piled leaves and limbs from a homeowner's yard can be burned without a Forestry Commission permit outside the ban period, following its S-S-T-A-R guidance, but piles from mechanized cutting are a different category. Read the burning rules before planning a burn, and land clearing if the job covers acres.

Questions to ask before cutting infested pines

Ask who identified the beetle, and get it in writing if you have more than a few trees; the county route depends on that written finding. Ask whether the provider will cut a buffer strip of green trees and how wide it will be. Ask where the wood will go, and whether any stumps will be ground, which calls for a Georgia 811 locate request.

Finally, ask about the trees near your house. Dead pines dry out and become brittle, and a dead pine leaning toward a structure is a hazard on its own. Our page on dead and hazard trees covers that, and stump grinding covers the cleanup.