Forest management and the Pine Processionary Moth

Abstract

Pine forests of the Mediterranean area are subject to very serious depredations by the caterpillar of the Pine Processionary Moth. Although there are suitable habitats in other parts of the world, the moth has so far remained within this region because of its poor power of dispersal. Traditional methods of containing it are unsatisfactory and better results are to be expected from measures designed to stabilise the population at an acceptable level rather than to eradicate it entirely.