Pests in Forestry
Sustainable Forest Management and Pest Control
In conifer-dominated forests, forest owners face the challenge of effectively managing insect pests while meeting conservation goals. Mechanical bark treatments such as debarking infested trees are being promoted as a promising method of pest control. But what are the impacts of this method on untargeted biodiversity?
DNA metabarcoding helped develop a new technique for controlling bark beetles
An exciting study sought to answer this very question, using the power of DNA metabarcoding. This involved investigating bark peeling, the partial removal of bark, as an alternative to complete debarking. The goal was to determine if this measure would be as effective in controlling bark beetles while maintaining portions of non-target biodiversity. DNA metabarcoding was used to identify small butterflies, important natural enemies of bark beetles.
Results
The results show that complete debarking reduced the number of hymenopteran species, which include butterflies, by 30%. In contrast, bark scraping resulted in a similar reduction in bark beetle populations, while hymenopteran species numbers were maintained. DNA metabarcoding provided a comprehensive picture of species diversity, supporting the gradual transition from debarking to bark scraping.
In this way, new opportunities for sustainable forest management and pest control could be identified and evaluated. Through analysis of DNA samples, bark scraping was shown to be an effective alternative to complete debarking for controlling bark beetles while maintaining small butterfly biodiversity.
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