--- title: Bark Beetle and Forest Insect Damage in Nevada by Year url: https://battleborntreeservice.com/data/forest-insect-damage-nevada/ business: Battle Born Tree Service address: 6301 US Highway 50 East, Carson City, NV 89701 phone: 775.232.8243 hours: Office Monday-Friday 8:30 am-5:00 pm; phones answered seven days a week; 24-hour emergency service credentials: ISA Certified Arborist WE-11728A on staff; Nevada Business License # 20131580674; fully insured type: Tree service (removal, crane work, pruning, stump grinding, defensible space, snow removal, firewood) --- - [Home](https://battleborntreeservice.com/) - [Local data](https://battleborntreeservice.com/data/) - Bark beetle and forest insect damage in Nevada by year # Bark beetle and forest insect damage in Nevada by year In the forests of our seven counties, aerial surveyors have mapped 684,088 acres of pinyon ips damage, 443,025 acres of pinyon needle scale, 105,970 acres from the fir engraver and 71,543 from the mountain pine beetle, all added across years. Most of the pinyon ips damage, about three quarters, was mapped in 2003 and 2004. | Damage agent (as recorded) | Mapped acres, all years added | Peak year | Mapped acres in the peak year | Years recorded | Years with damage mapped | |---|---|---|---|---|---| | Pinyon ips | 684,088 | 2004 | 325,255 | 2002-2025 | 23 | | Pinyon needle scale | 443,025 | 2010 | 133,859 | 2009-2024 | 11 | | Fir engraver | 105,970 | 2023 | 22,623 | 1997-2025 | 29 | | Mountain pine beetle | 71,543 | 2022 | 19,705 | 1998-2025 | 25 | | Jeffrey pine beetle | 10,080 | 2016 | 4,929 | 1997-2025 | 27 | | Unknown bark beetle | 9,744 | 2022 | 9,682 | 2015-2022 | 3 | | Western pine beetle | 7,014 | 2018 | 5,975 | 2002-2018 | 4 | | Gelechiid moths/needleminers | 5,571 | 2019 | 5,571 | 2019-2019 | 1 | | Satin moth | 3,280 | 2019 | 1,176 | 2012-2024 | 11 | | Scale insects | 2,215 | 2012 | 2,215 | 2012-2012 | 1 | | Unknown defoliator | 1,664 | 2015 | 1,078 | 2014-2024 | 5 | | Pinyon sawfly | 1,274 | 2019 | 1,157 | 2019-2020 | 2 | | Bark beetles | 1,093 | 2006 | 560 | 2000-2011 | 10 | | Pine engraver | 513 | 2016 | 479 | 2007-2018 | 6 | | Ips engraver beetles | 287 | 2022 | 238 | 2015-2022 | 2 | | Western spruce budworm | 201 | 2018 | 201 | 2018-2018 | 1 | | Forest tent caterpillar | 163 | 2003 | 86 | 2002-2003 | 2 | | Needleminers | 41 | 1998 | 41 | 1998-1998 | 1 | | Spruce beetle | 17 | 2000 | 15 | 2000-2015 | 2 | | Flatheaded fir borer | 13 | 2015 | 13 | 2015-2015 | 1 | | Red turpentine beetle | 12 | 2009 | 12 | 2009-2009 | 1 | | True fir bark beetles | 11 | 2005 | 11 | 2005-2005 | 1 | | Root disease and beetle complex | 5 | 2015 | 5 | 2015-2015 | 1 | | California flatheaded borer | 2 | 2016 | 2 | 2016-2016 | 1 | | Douglas-fir beetle | 1 | 2014 | 1 | 2014-2014 | 1 | Source: [USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Protection, Insect and Disease Survey (aerial detection), Regions 4 and 5, clipped to Carson City and Washoe, Douglas, Lyon, Storey, Churchill and Mineral counties](https://www.fs.usda.gov/foresthealth/applied-sciences/mapping-reporting/detection-surveys.shtml). Insect agents only. Acres are the area where damage was mapped from the air, not acres of trees killed; the same ground can be mapped in several years and under several agents, so the totals overlap. A low or missing year can mean the area was not flown. [Download this table (CSV)](https://battleborntreeservice.com/data/forest-insect-damage-nevada/forest-insect-damage-nevada.csv) Each summer, the USDA Forest Service flies the forests of the West and sketches areas where trees show damage. This page keeps only the insects and only the seven counties we work in. It tells you which beetles and scale insects have mattered here and when, which is useful context if a pine or fir on your property is turning red or thin. It does not tell you what is wrong with your tree. ## How to read the table Each row is one damage agent as the surveyors recorded it. The second column adds the mapped acres of every year. The peak year is the year with the most mapped acres, and the next column gives that year's acres. The last columns show the span of years recorded and how many of them had any damage mapped. The unit is mapped acres, which means the area where damage was seen from the air, not acres of trees killed. The same ground can be mapped in several years and by several agents, so the rows overlap and should not be added into one total. ## What stands out Two outbreaks account for most of the mapped acres, and the bark beetle story has shifted to newer agents. - Pinyon ips: 684,088 acres, peaking at 325,255 in 2004 after 185,907 in 2003 and 36,055 in 2002. A second pulse of 70,403 acres came in 2009. - Pinyon needle scale: 443,025 acres, mapped from 2009 to 2024, with a peak of 133,859 acres in 2010 and 112,790 in 2012. - Fir engraver: 105,970 acres over 29 recorded years, peaking at 22,623 in 2023, after 20,078 in 2022 and 17,677 in 2017. - Mountain pine beetle: 71,543 acres, with the largest year in 2022 (19,705 acres) and more than 7,800 acres each in 2023, 2024 and 2025. - Jeffrey pine beetle: 10,080 acres, almost half of it, 4,929 acres, in 2016. ## What it means for trees near you The agents are named for the trees they attack. Pinyon ips and pinyon needle scale are named for the pinyon pines, the Jeffrey, mountain and western pine beetles for the pines they attack, and the fir engraver for firs. Our [bark beetles in pines](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/bark-beetles-in-pines/), [fir engraver](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/fir-engraver/) and [pinyon needle scale](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/pinyon-needle-scale/) pages help with identification. Our work here is the decision, not a treatment: an arborist looks at the tree and recommends pruning, monitoring or removal. A pine or fir that is dead or declining near a house is a removal question; see [removing dead pines and bark beetle trees](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/removing-dead-pines-bark-beetles/). Our [firewood guide](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/dont-move-firewood-nevada/) covers moving wood. ## Limits of the data Survey coverage changes every year. The Pacific Southwest region did not fly Nevada in 2020 or 2025, and the flown area in 2020 and 2021 was small, so a low or missing year can mean the ground was not flown rather than that no damage occurred. The yearly numbers are not a trend on their own. The table includes insect agents only. Drought, disease and fire damage mapped in the same survey are left out, and the counties are clipped from larger polygons, so edges are approximate. ### Sources - [USDA Forest Service, Forest Health Protection: Insect and Disease Survey (aerial detection), Regions 4 and 5](https://www.fs.usda.gov/foresthealth/applied-sciences/mapping-reporting/detection-surveys.shtml) (pulled October 17, 2026) ### Talk to the office [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243) | Monday to Friday | 8:30 am - 5:00 pm | |---|---| | Saturday and Sunday | Office closed, phones answered | Phones answered seven days a week. 24-hour emergency service. [Free estimate](#quote) ### Keep reading - [Bark beetles in pines](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/bark-beetles-in-pines/) - [Removing dead pines after bark beetles](https://battleborntreeservice.com/guides/removing-dead-pines-bark-beetles/) - [Drought history in Northern Nevada since 2000](https://battleborntreeservice.com/data/drought-history-northern-nevada/) - [Fir engraver beetle](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/fir-engraver/) - [Single-leaf pinyon](https://battleborntreeservice.com/tree-guide/single-leaf-pinyon/) ## Questions people ask Still have a question? Call [775.232.8243](tel:775.232.8243). Phones are answered seven days a week. ### Which insect has damaged the most forest in Northern Nevada? By mapped acres across all years, the pinyon ips, at 684,088 acres, with a peak of 325,255 acres in 2004. ### Does mapped acres mean acres of dead trees? No. It is the area where damage was seen from the air. Trees may be stressed, partly damaged or killed. ### Why is there so little damage mapped in 2020 and 2021? Because the survey flew much less of Nevada in those years, so a low number can mean 'not flown'. ### Do I need to treat a tree that has beetles? Battle Born does not offer treatments. An arborist can help you identify the problem and decide whether to prune, monitor or remove.