Forest Club model projects and sites

Issue 15, Sept. 2000

“One young silviculturist, when he came to work as an assistant forester, wrote in his report to the forester in the town of Gory the following: “…a typographer, which extirpated out many spruce trees, appeared in the Suramskay forest estate”… To the great surprise of the entomologist he received the following forester's instructions: “ Make an arrest of the typographer and confiscate the printing works”. P.Z. Vinogradov-Nikitin, 1896

In is for the paths resembling the typographical matrix that the beetle is called "typographer". Photo by: A. Grigoryev.

Thus, we will speak not about a printing producer, but about bark beetles – organisms, that live near us in our environment. Where can we meet them? They can be found in the country, even more often - in the forest, but you should know where to look for them. Sometimes they - bark beetles, leaf-eating insects and rove beetles - fly into windows of buses and even the underground in cities. "Ah! It's just a fly", - we think and disregard it. We do not usually examine them, thinking of our problems. We begin to notice them when all leaves on bird cherry trees have been eaten up, tree trunks are covered with aluminum film of webs and balls of caterpillars swing in webs. Andrew Voznesensky wrote some lines about that, comparing Russia with a bird cherry tree destroyed by insects: "… save the bird cherry tree - save Russia!" However, trees turned green in two weeks after the "catastrophe" and only small spots of web remained on tree trunks. Plants and insects are adapted to each other. They take it kindly - as all of them want to survive. Only we do not always understand them. We do not know when we have to interfere with natural processes, and when it is not even advantageous from the point of view of economy, which we so cherish.

Many people believe, that bark beetles are well-noticeable organisms, so when they see something small and swarming, that can be seen only under a microscope, they are surprised: "What a tiny thing!" As a rule, they are often confused with long-horned beetles - quite large and quick insects found in trees. Bark beetles are small, but bold. Sometimes there are too many of them. I heard the following: "Oh, somebody picked a hole with a nail!". It was said not by a child, but by an adult.

It is assumed that there is about a million of insect species in the world. There are more insects than all the rest organisms counted together. The ecological group of insects, found on tree trunks and which are fed with plant tissues, is called stem borers (trunk insects) as they significantly decrease utility and quality of timber widely used by a man. Especially dangerous primarily insects (borers) from an economic point of view are bark beetles. There are about 300 species of bark beetles found on the territory of the former USSR. Several species can cause significant damage to forests.

Size of beetles varies from 1 to 9 mm. They have a life cycle, which is typical for most insects. Life time of a beetle is about a year. In the course of year a beetle flies out of its winter shelter, finds matching partners, gnaws out burrows in the bark, where it lays eggs and after that it dies. Eggs are developed under the bark, first they turn into larvae, which grow eating up most feed substrate, and then turn into chrysalides, trying to avoid parasites and diseases (as in any other community). Beetles appear in the middle of summer. In order to fly out they gnaw a hole in the form of an ideal circle (which have been mistaken for holes made by a nail) and settle for wintering in soil or under bark of neighboring trees. What about the tree? It dies out. Inexperienced person sees only consequences: falling bark, brown needles and leaves. As a rule, beetles, which cause the situation, have gone away. They leave only patterned burrows under the bark, which are specific for each species of bark beetles.

Phenomenon of mass reproduction is typical for many inhabitants of the Earth under certain circumstances. Nowadays, scientists raise the alarm concerning increasing human population as there is a lack of resources for its survival. Population of bark beetles changes the same way, maybe, just on a smaller scale. Mass reproduction of those insects can be considered as an environmental disaster. At present there are favorable conditions for reproduction of typographer (spruce bark beetle) due to extensive weakening of Norway spruce caused by drought of last two years and small precipitation. Beetles usually inhabit separate old weakened trees. However, under current conditions there is not enough trees of such kind for all beetles willing to settle down. They will populate vigorous trees of different ages.

At the end of 19^th century, forestry specialists recorded outbreaks of typographer bark-beetles. Outbreaks were registered in the Moscow and Kalinigrad regions, in Republic of Belarus, Lithuania and Georgia in 1964-1970, so the area of this phenomenon is quite extensive. Recently outbreak was promoted by windfall areas (1998) in the Moscow region, where increase of bark-beetle population was recorded according to geometric progression.

Typographer bark-beetles inhabit mainly spruce, rarely - other coniferous trees. Spruce is one of the most widely-spread coniferous trees in forests of the Moscow region. It occupies 25% of forested area and acts as an important environment-forming element. Numerous folk traditions and art works are associated with fir-trees; at the same time spruce is a source of many useful substances and products.

It should be mentioned, that only few people know about next oncoming problem of Russian forests, as it remains a specific issue for forestry specialists. In order to notice it, one should enter a forest a little farther than the forest edge.

Let us have a look at official statistics. There were about 2000 ha of centers of secondary bole insects (including the typographer bark-beetle) on the territory of the Moscow region in 1995-1999. There were 80 ha of forested areas with high degree of tree damage, i.e. where 40% and more trees died out in volume stand in 1997, and correspondingly, 126 ha - in 1998, 201 ha - in 1999. At the same time, these areas are assigned for clear sanitary felling as all other measures are considered as exhausted. The forecast is unfavorable. It is expected that areas with high degree of damage caused by bark-beetles will spread over more than thousand ha in 2000. Such increase of beetle population signifies the beginning of the typographer outbreak on the basis of forest protection measures. It is the time, when a complex of measures, worked out by many generations of foresters and silviculturists, can be effectively applied. It is necessary to use all available means for insect protection in order to conserve fir-woods, save efforts of people who planted them and natural energy spent for growth of centenary giants. Governmental authorities do not hasten to solve the issue, non-governmental ones do not know about it. We would like to receive responses from interested people, to receive actual help of specialists, who can provide it.

Recently many people have obtained an opportunity to settle near forests, in natural environment. There are many centenary trees - pine-trees, spruces, birches and oaks left on people's sites from the previous land management. Everything, that has been mentioned above, concerns not only state forests. Your favorite fir-tree on your private site can also be damaged by oncoming invasion, as typographer bark-beetle can fly over large distances. Your great contribution to solving of this urgent problem of Russian forests can be timely observation of appearance of typographer bark-beetles on your territory or, even better, to apply necessary measures on the basis of consultations with experts.