scholarly journals Private Forest Owner Characteristics Affect European Spruce Bark Beetle Management under an Extreme Weather Event and Host Tree Density

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 346
Author(s):  
Maarten de Groot ◽  
Jurij Diaci ◽  
Kaja Kandare ◽  
Nike Krajnc ◽  
Rok Pisek ◽  
...  

In the last few decades, an increasing number and intensity of bark beetle outbreaks have plagued the forests of Europe and North America. Bark beetle management is directly related to forest owner characteristics, although this relationship is not well understood. The purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of forest owner characteristics on the amount and timing of sanitary felling under different disturbance regimes and quantities of Norway spruce. We combined different databases on sanitary felling, the timing of sanitary felling, and forest owner characteristics for Slovenia from 2014 to 2018 and analyzed the amount and timing of sanitary felling in relation to forest owner characteristics. We found that the timing in winter and the amount of sanitary felling were positively associated with the distance of the owner’s residence to the forest parcel. Larger parcels were more affected by bark beetles but did not have later timing of cutting in the summer period as was hypothesized. The timing of sanitary felling decreased with property size, while with the probability of sanitary felling, the effect of property depended on the ice storm and the amount of spruce. The size of the settlement, the permanent address of the private owner, and timing of sanitary felling were positively associated but also depended on the amount of spruce. Gender and age did not have an important influence on the amount and timing of sanitary felling. Forest owners are an important factor in effective bark beetle management. This study highlights the private forest ownership characteristics that should be emphasized in order to fight bark beetle outbreaks in the event of large-scale disturbances. Governments should support forest owners who are at greater risk of bark beetle outbreaks and less efficient in managing outbreaks. Furthermore, landowner characteristics should be included when forecasting bark beetle outbreaks.

2006 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-34 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew O. Finley ◽  
David B. Kittredge

Abstract We present a three-phase segmentation analysis designed to highlight the heterogeneity of forest ownership values and attitudes toward government control, privacy, and environmental protection held by a sample of Massachusetts private forest owners. This case study explores private forest owner characteristics that are associated with enrollment into Massachusetts' Chapter 61 current-use forest property tax program, which requires a professionally prepared 10-year forest management plan. We suggest the key to increasing landowner participation in forest management programs is to (1) recognize this heterogeneity of the target population, and (2) tailor the program to meet segment specific needs and desires.


Author(s):  
Peter H. W. Biedermann ◽  
Jean-Claude Grégoire ◽  
Axel Gruppe ◽  
Jonas Hagge ◽  
Almuth Hammerbacher ◽  
...  

Tree-killing bark beetles are the most economically important insects in conifer forests worldwide. Yet  despite >200 years of research, the drivers of population eruptions or crashes are still not fully understood, precluding reliable predictions of the effects of global change on beetle population dynamics and impacts on ecosystems and humans.  We critically analyze potential biotic and abiotic drivers of population dynamics of the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) and present a novel ecological framework that integrates the multiple drivers governing this bark beetle system. We call for large-scale collaborative research efforts to improve our understanding of the population dynamics of this important pest; an approach that might serve as a blueprint for other eruptive forest insects.


2008 ◽  
Vol 159 (12) ◽  
pp. 435-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Schaffner

Forestry science and practice are trying to reduce the diversity of private forest owners to a small number of descriptions of characteristics and comportments by creating categories of forest owners using a system based on combinations of these various characteristics. A comparison between various middle-European forest owner categories makes it clear that for the majority two main processes form the basis. The change in agrarian structures and the associated change from a tradition of owner management to a service industry alter the conditions which were previously valid for this division into categories. Analyses which explain the mechanisms behind observed effects in the newly developing service industry market and in its potential performance will gain in importance for forestry practice in the future.


2014 ◽  
Vol 165 (12) ◽  
pp. 377-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Astrid Zabel ◽  
Alexandra Dittgen

Private forest owners with and without agricultural background in the canton of Bern In Switzerland, private forest ownership was traditionally closely tied to agricultural farms. With the ongoing structural change in the agricultural sector, there is a growing number of private forest owners who do not have an agricultural background. In order to design policy measures, e.g. to increase wood harvest in private forests, it is necessary to understand the aims and motivations of these owners. This paper investigates to what extent private forest owners without an agricultural background differ from those with such a background. The analysis builds on empirical data collected in a representative, mail survey among private forest owners in the canton of Bern. Contrary to a wide-spread assertion that forest owners without an agricultural background have little forest-specific knowledge and lack interest in their forests, this study finds that they are often interested and estimate to have a high degree of knowledge. In accordance with studies conducted in Austria and Germany the results show that to forest owners without an agricultural background generating income from their forests is often a secondary goal. Leisure and recreation are often given higher priority.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Seth Davis ◽  
Paul R. Rhoades ◽  
Andrew J. Mann ◽  
Terry Griswold

Abstract Landscape-scale bark beetle outbreaks alter forest structure with direct and indirect effects on plants and animals in forest ecosystems. Using alpine spruce forest and a native bee community as a study system, we tested how tree mortality from bark beetles impacts bee foraging habitats and populations. Bees were collected across the growing season (early-, middle-, and late-season) for two years using passive trapping methods, and collections were used to analyze patterns in species abundances and diversity. Three important findings emerged: (1) forest stands that were post-outbreak had 62% higher floral density and 68% more floral species during peak bloom, respectively, than non-affected stands; (2) bee captures were highest early-season (June) and were not strongly affected by bark beetle outbreak; however, mean number of bee species and Shannon–Weiner diversity were significantly higher in post-outbreak stands and this effect was pronounced early in the growing season. Corresponding analysis of β-diversity indicated higher accumulation of bee biodiversity in post-outbreak stands and a turnover in the ratio of Bombus: Osmia; (3) bee captures were linked to variation in foraging habitat, but number of bee species and diversity were more strongly predicted by forest structure. Our results provide evidence of increased alpine bee biodiversity in post-outbreak stands and increased availability of floral resources. We conclude that large-scale disturbance from bark beetle outbreaks may drive shifts in pollinator community composition through cascading effects on floral resources, mediated via mortality of overstory trees.


Author(s):  
Anne-Maarit Hekkala ◽  
Simon Kärvemo ◽  
Martijn Versluijs ◽  
Jan Weslien ◽  
Christer Björkman ◽  
...  

Abstract The restoration of forest structure and function is increasingly being used in boreal forests in order to halt the loss of biodiversity. Often ecological restoration is aimed at increasing the volume of dead and dying trees to enhance the biodiversity of deadwood-dependent organisms, but it may also increase population sizes of pest bark beetle species, even several years following restoration. Herein, we used a large-scale restoration experiment in Northern Sweden to assess the 5 years post-restoration effects of restorative gap cutting and prescribed burning on the populations of a set of economically harmful pest bark beetles (Ips typographus, Polygraphus poligraphus, Tomicus piniperda and Pityogenes chalcographus) and the most important predators of bark beetles, Thanasimus spp. In addition, we assessed the effects of forest stand characteristics at stand and landscape scale on the abundance of I. typographus. Five years post-restoration, gap-cut stands supported the highest abundances of P. poligraphus and contained the highest count of spruce trees newly attacked by bark beetles. By contrast, prescribed burning generally sustained the lowest abundances of pest bark beetles, especially I. typographus and P. poligraphus, and the highest abundance of their natural predators Thanasimus spp. The population abundance of I. typographus was also positively affected by the area of clear cuts within a 500 m radius from the stand. In conclusion, prescribed burning appears to be a safer method for ecological restoration than gap cutting in the long-term. According to our results, a risk of a local bark beetle outbreak still remains 5 years following the initiation of ecological restoration treatments on spruce-dominated mature gap-cut stands.


Author(s):  
KARRI PASANEN ◽  
MIKKO KURTTILA ◽  
JOUNI PYKÄlÄINEN ◽  
JYRKI KANGAS ◽  
PEKKA LESKINEN

The supply of Internet-based forest planning services to non-industrial private forest owners has increased. At the core of these services there is usually the "paper forest plan" in browseable format. The options to update the stand-level data and to download, fill and send various forms related to stand treatments are further characteristics of these services. The real potential of web-based services has not yet, however, been fully exploited. In addition, changes in the structure of non-industrial private forest ownership call for new facilities to be included in these services. The aim of this article is to present some characteristics that could be included in Internet-based forest planning services. The Mesta decision support service is intended to be used independently by forest owners, who are interested in examining, over the Internet, the production possibilities of their forest holding and in comparing alternative forest plans with respect to different goals concerning the use of their forest holding. Mesta includes a facility enabling preliminary objective enquiries from the forest owner, the creation and presentation of alternative forest plans and multi-criteria comparisons of alternative forest plans. The comparison technique is so executed that forest owners' independent assessments are enabled over the Internet without necessitating personal guidance by forest planning consultants. The results of trial use involving eight North-Karelian forest owners were encouraging. However, the current version of Mesta has been developed for research purposes and its properties and user-friendliness need to be improved before it can be included as a component of commercial Internet-based forest planning services.


2022 ◽  
Vol 68 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 19-25
Author(s):  
Miloš Knížek ◽  
Jan Liška ◽  
Adam Véle

The Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) plantations in central Europe are currently damaged by a large-scale infestation by bark beetles (Scolytinae). Ips acuminatus and Ips sexdentatus are among the most aggressive species causing infestations of pine trees that are currently simultaneously attacked by Ips typographus. In pine plantations prone to damage, it is therefore necessary to carry out the bark beetle monitoring. One of the used methods is the pheromone bark beetle trapping using synthetic lures. The efficacy of synthetic lures differs. We tested the efficacy of commercially available lures used in the protection of pine trees. In total, we deployed 10 trap series, each consisting of traps with eight different lures and two unbaited traps (controls). Ips acuminatus and I. sexdentatus were most abundantly captured in Pheagr-IAC- and Sexowit-baited traps. Interestingly, the spruce species I. typographus was also captured and most often found in traps with Pheagr-IAC and Erosowit Tube lures. The number of captured beetles was consistent with the gradation phase of bark beetles. Our results suggest the suitability of pheromone traps for bark beetle monitoring. The use of Sexowit can be recommended especially in southwestern Moravia, where I. sexdentatus occurs in high numbers in the long run. In other parts of the Czech Republic, Pheagr-IAC alone can be used with sufficient efficacy. The use of the Erosowit Tube lure is also suitable for I. typographus and I. sexdentatus monitoring.


2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (4) ◽  
pp. 549-563
Author(s):  
Louise Eriksson ◽  
Clas Fries

Abstract With growing demands on forests, there is a need to understand the drivers of managing the forest for diverse objectives, such as production, recreation, and climate adaptation. The aim of this study was to examine the knowledge and value basis of forest management behaviors, including different management strategies and management inactivity, among private forest owners in Sweden. Different dimensions of knowledge (declarative and procedural knowledge, assessed in terms of objective and subjective knowledge measures) and value priorities (basic values and forest values), as well as the role of forest owner identity, were examined. The study was conducted by means of a postal questionnaire to a random sample of private forest owners in Sweden (n = 3000, response rate 43%). The distinctions between actual knowledge (objective knowledge), confidence (subjective knowledge), and value priorities, in addition to the hierarchical structure of how these factors are linked to management behaviors, proved to be valuable. Results revealed that different knowledge dimensions and value priorities were jointly important for forest management behaviors. In addition, the role of forest owner identity for management behaviors was confirmed. Insights from the study may be used to develop policy and outreach to private forest owners and thereby facilitate different forest functions in private forestry.


Forests ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 21
Author(s):  
Shin Seunguk ◽  
Youn Yeo-Chang

Understanding and promoting South Korean private forest owners’ investment in the Forest Carbon Offset (FCO) scheme is crucial for enhancing carbon sequestration using forests in South Korea. This study aims to identify the factors of private forest owners associated with the investment decision in FCO projects. A total of 132 forest owners in Geumsan-gun, Chungcheongnam-do responded to a mixed-method survey. A chi-square test on the respondent groups shows that a forest management contract has a positive correlation with the forest owners’ willingness to invest in FCO projects. We also developed a logistic regression model for each forest owner group to estimate the effects of forest characteristics, experience of financial support, forest owner characteristics, and management characteristics on the forest owners’ willingness to invest in FCO projects. The results indicate that beliefs in climate change, size of forest holdings, tree species, stand age, experience in cost-sharing for forestry operations with public agencies, and timber harvest experience were significantly associated with the likelihood of a forest owner’s willingness to invest in FCO projects. Therefore, forest policies should take account of the factors influencing the likelihood of forest owners’ investment in FCO projects. We also found that the forest management contract scheme can be used as a policy instrument for promoting private forest owners’ action for climate change in South Korea.


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