Abstract. The Nantucket pine tip moth is a serious pest of hard pines throughout its range which includes the upper South. Its destruction of new growth, deforming and stunting young trees, has long been known. But the trend toward industrial forestry since WWII in the South has raised the question of how important the pest is to production goals. The question of whether damage control remained to be quantified.  As measuring techniques have become more sophisticated, we have learned how damaging the moth really is.