Bacterial wetwood in conifers: to cut or preserve?

Abstract

The problem of infection and death of valuable Siberian stone pine and fir stands of the Baikal specially protected natural territory as a result of the spread of bacterial dropsy of conifers over thousands of hectares is discussed. The disease was found in Zhigalovskiy, Kachugskiy, Nizhneudinskiy, Slyudyanskiy, Ust-Udinskiy and Shelekhovskiy forestry districts of Irkutsk Oblast, as well as in Gusinoozerskiy, Babushkinskiy, Ulan-Udenskiy and Pribaikal’skiy forestry districts of the Republic of Buryatia. Siberian stone pine and fir trees weakened by bacterial dropsy are damaged by secondary stem pests, such as the six-toothed bark beetle (stenographer) Ips sexdentatus Boern., the striped coniferous lumberjack Trypodendron lineatum Oliv., the black fir barbel Monochamus urussovi Fischer, which in turn weaken the damaged stands, leading them to death, creating migratory foci, and are carriers of the disease. In order to carry out the necessary health-improving forest protection measures, eliminate and prevent the spread of infection, the question is raised about the possibility of using selective forest health felling of dry stands and stands infected with bacterial dropsy in the Baikal specially protected natural territory.

Keywords

• mass drying of coniferous forests
• problems of forest protection from bacterial diseases
• economic and environmental damage
• baikal specially protected natural territory