Current Outbreak Status
Southern Pine Beetle Status
Images courtesy of Erich G. Vallery, USDA Forest Service – SRS-4552, Bugwood.org
Key Takeaways For 2024 Include:
- In 2024, there were over 14,000 southern pine beetle spots impacting over 30,000 acres of mostly loblolly pine plantations.
- Southern pine beetle activity was significant primarily across in the following 4 states: Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi and South Carolina.
- Alabama saw the worst SPB activity by far with almost 12,000 spots and nearly 25,000 acres impacted.
- Thirty-three counties and 3 Forest Service Ranger Districts were officially in outbreak status.
- The vast majority of spots and about half of the impacted acres were on private forestlands.
- This is the most SPB activity in the Southern Region in more than two decades, particularly on private lands.
- See Historical Spot Data for a complete data set.
Current SPB Spot Map
Spring Trapping and SPB Prediction. Every year we conduct a spring survey for Southern Pine Beetle, and we have been working with Dartmouth College to make the predictions for the survey more accurate. Below you will find a summary of the expected SPB activity for 2025 derived from that survey and the prediction model. The map on the left indicates predicted SPB activity in counties across the region, while the map on the right indicates predicted SPB activity on Federal lands. More detailed information about this survey and the prediction model can be found at SPB Predict.
This prediction system is a huge team effort made possible by surveyors and sample processors with National Forests, State Forestry Agencies, and Forest Health Protection. Also, a special thanks to Michael Torbett with Georgia Forestry Commission that manages the Survey 1,2,3 Collection and Reporting App and Drs. Carissa Aoki and Matt Ayres with Dartmouth College that developed and run the prediction model.
2025 SPB County Prediction Map
2025 SPB Federal Lands Prediction Map
Working with collaborators in the USDA Forest Service, Southeastern Climate Hub, and Clemson University, we have developed the Southern Pine Beetle Outbreak Model (SPBOM). This prediction tool forecasts southern pine beetle risk under current and future user-defined management, precipitation, and temperature scenarios, allowing forest managers in the southeastern U.S to identify, monitor, and manage areas at high risk of SPB infestation.
