A destructive insect capable of devastating timber harvests is at “epidemic” level in Alabama, with the state’s forest management agency saying the problem is the worst it’s been in more than 20 years.

The Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) has issued an alert about the Southern pine beetle. The AFC said it has identified almost 5,000 trouble spots, with an average of 191 trees killed at each spot.

“Unfortunately, this is the highest number of beetle spots we’ve experienced in the state in the last 23 years, State Forester Rick Oates said in a recently issued statement. “The agency has conducted aerial surveys in 51 counties so far, with more counties anticipated over the next couple weeks. Both Mississippi and Georgia are also counting numerous spots. So, it looks as if this is an especially active pine beetle year not just here in Alabama, but across the Southeast.”

The beetles use trees as nurseries, with larvae doing fatal damage as they grow and tunnel under the bark. According to the U.S. Forest Service, annual tree loss attributed to the beetle “often exceeds 100 million board feet of sawtimber and 30 million cubic feet of pulpwood,” and a severe outbreak in 1999-2002 caused more than a billion dollars is losses for the timber industry.

According to the AFC, “Counties with significant SPB activity (more than 100 spots) are Bibb, Calhoun, Choctaw, Clay, Colbert, Coosa, Franklin, Lamar, Lawrence, Marion, Perry, Randolph, Talladega, and Winston.” The announcement said that the worst infestations “are located within and around Bankhead National Forest and the Oakmulgee District of the Talladega National Forest. This data is relevant to landowners because a large number of beetle spots exist on adjacent private lands as well.”

The AFC announcement said that the commission expects the number of infested spots and the number of affected trees per spot to increase. It will continue to map spots by aerial survey, with the results shown on an online map at https://forestry.alabama.gov/.

“The agency is also conducting ground checks and notifying forest landowners by mail,” according to the announcement. “By locating their property on this map, forest landowners and land managers can begin treating the spots.”

“Alabama’s timber industry is a driver of our economy, and these pine beetles can pose a real threat,” Gov. Kay Ivey said in the AFC news release. “Landowners should take care to identify these beetles to protect their own harvest, as well as to help prevent the spread to other timber. … The Alabama Forestry Commission is working hard to locate the beetle spots and notify landowners of the potential problem.”

Southern pine beetles usually attack weakened trees, but in an epidemic they can attack and rapidly kill trees that appeared healthy. Management measures include cutting down trees in infested areas and burning what cannot be used.