Abstract
Many of the mountain summits of Acadia National Park (ACAD) are dominated by Pinus rigida (Pitch Pine). The ACAD Pitch Pine population is particularly valuable due to its position at the northernmost edge of the species’ range, its association with unique animal and plant communities, and its contribution to the aesthetics of the park. Pitch Pine is host to Dendroctonus frontalis (Southern Pine Beetle [SPB]). As the name suggests, SPB is native to the southeastern US, and can kill large numbers of healthy pines via mass-attack. With warming winters, SPB can establish and persist further north than ever before, presenting a novel and emerging threat to hard pines in New England, including Pitch Pine. While SPB has not yet been found in ACAD, SPB infestations have occurred at Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS), and individual beetles have been trapped at Cape Cod National Seashore (CACO) and as far north as Waterboro, ME. We present data recorded by temperature sensors that we set out in each park during 2023–2024. Minimum temperatures in winter 2023– 2024 were not cold enough to suppress SPB population growth in ACAD, CACO, or FIIS. We assess hazards posed by advancing SPB populations to Pitch Pine in ACAD by quantifying known drivers of SPB infestation risk, including Pitch Pine stem density and basal area. We found that 66% of plots sampled in ACAD had high Pitch Pine basal area as defined by previous work on SPB risk. These areas of high-density Pitch Pine were not correlated with environmental variables like elevation or fire history. We place these findings in the context of the resist–accept–direct management framework.
Department
Natural Resources and the Environment
Publication Date
2-13-2026
Journal Title
Northeastern Naturalist
Publisher
Eagle Hill Institute
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Kanaskie, Caroline R., Mark J. Ducey, and Jeff R. Garnas. 2026. “Assessing the Threat of Southern Pine Beetle to Pitch Pine in Acadia National Park.” Northeastern Naturalist 33 (1): 23–43.
Rights
The publisher, Eagle Hill Institute, reserves the copyright to all its publications.
Comments
This is a reprint of an article published by Eagle Hill Institute in Northeastern Naturalist in 2026, available online: https://doi.org/10.1656/045.033.0102