Small spruce bark beetle as a new challenge for forest protection in Siberia

Abstract

The problems of protection of Siberian pine forests, that have arisen in connection with the recent invasion of the European pest - the small spruce bark beetle Ips amitinus (Eichh.), which formed the outbreak foci on the territory of the Tomsk and Kemerovo regions, are considered. The complexity of indication and early detection of the species, the assessment of the forest stands state, bark beetle populations indexes in foci, and the implementation of measures aimed at curbing the spread of an aggressive alien species were discussed based on the results of our research. The objective reasons for the ineffectiveness of protecting forests from the alien bark beetle at the present stage are shown: the lack of information and scientific and methodological support for it, taking into account the characteristics of the biology and ecology of the new pest; lack of a developed technology for the practical application of protective measures in the conditions of specific management in Siberian pine forests and legislative conflicts. In connection with the specifics of the invasive situation, a number of innovations in the organization and conduct of forest health monitoring and forest pathological surveys in the Siberian pine forests are proposed for consideration. The necessity of clarifying the scale of damaged trees condition categories by the small spruce bark beetle is substantiated, taking into account the peculiarities of the relationship between the pest and its new host-tree species. The possibilities and prospects of conducting remote observations of the alien bark beetle foci and its distribution with using of unmanned aerial vehicles are shown. A critical assessment is given of measures to curb the spread of pests in forests, permitted by regulatory documents, and their possibilities for solving the problem of Siberian pine forests degradation in the outbreak foci of the small spruce bark beetle. The proposals for effective protection technologies against new invasive pest in Siberian pine forests are formulated.

Keywords

• invasion
• outbreak foci
• problems of the siberian stone pine forests protection