Forest Health Handbook

The North Carolina Forest Service Forest Health Handbook describes some of the most important and/or common forest insects and diseases that damage trees in North Carolina. The main purpose of this manual is to provide basic information on threats to forest health, guidance in diagnosing tree disorders, and pest management recommendations. It is not intended as a final reference when dealing with any of the pests described. Rather, it should serve as a training aid and introductory text for those unfamiliar with the forest entomology and pathology fields, and as a quick reference guide for specific insect and diseases problems. The information provided is specific to North Carolina.

All portions of the handbook are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format and can be viewed by downloading Adobe's free Acrobat Reader.

• Complete manual (32 MB)
  • Cover, Acknowlegement, Table of Contents and Preface
  • Introduction to Forest Protection
  • Chapter 1 – Forest Entomology
    • Insects That Can Affect Forests in North Carolina
  • Chapter 2 – Forest Pathology
    • Diseases That Can Affect Forests in North Carolina
  • Chapter 3 – Disorders and Abiotic Stress Agents
  • APPENDICES
    • Appendix A: Diagnosing Disorders of Trees
    • Appendix B: Pest Management
    • Appendix C: Non-Native Invasive Species
    • Appendix D: Diagnostic and Laboratory Services
    • Appendix E: Sample Collection Guidelines
    • Appendix F: Photographing Tree Disorders
    • Appendix G: Diagnostic Tools of the Trade
    • Appendix H: Additional Resources and Selected References
    • Appendix I: Image Citations
    • Appendix J: Glossary
    • Appendix K: Forest Health Branch Contact Information

Photos and illustrations in this publication are made available under a Creative Commons license. The images contained within may not be used for commercial purposes unless permission is granted by the copyright owners. All other content within is in the public domain. The N.C. Forest Service only distributes this publication electronically. Users are free to print out copies for personal or educational use.