On the Salida District, the most common insects whose "mission" may be different from our own are the various bark beetles, scale insects, spider mites, and aphids. The most common disease is dwarf mistletoe.

Every conifer species in our forests has at least one associated bark-beetle with the potential to kill the tree. The most familiar ones in our area are mountain pine beetle in ponderosa pine, ips in piñon pine and lodgepole pine; Douglas-fir beetle in Douglas-fir.

Dwarf mistletoe is a parasitic plant that slowly kills a tree. A heavily infected tree has deformed branches, grows slowly, and produces few viable tree seeds.

In the community setting, scale and wood borers are typical insects. Fire blight and wetwood are common diseases.

Our foresters can sometimes trouble-shoot problems from the office; otherwise they are available by appointment to assess an insect or disease problem on your favorite tree, on your property, or within a subdivision.