From pest control to the preservation of species richness: of forest entomology research in Estonia's forest research institutions in 1936-2001
2002
Voolma, K. (Estonian Agricultural Univ., Tartu (Estonia). Forest Research Inst.)
This article gives an overview of forest entomology research at Estonia's forest research institutions, such as the Forest Research Institute of the University of Tartu the Sector of Forestry of the Institute of Zoology and Botany (1947-1963), the Estonian Institute of Forestry and Nature Conservation (1969-1996) and the Forest Research Institute of the Estonian Agricultural University (1997-2001). From 1969 to 1996, the main center for scientific studies on forest entomology was the Department of Forest Protection of the Estonian Institute of Forestry and Nature Conservation, situated in Tartu. Forest entomology and forest protection studies encompassed a wide range of topics, such as the measures of bark beetle control in spruce and pine forests, the population ecology and control of major pest species, the natural enemies of Scolytidae, cone and seed insects, insect pests in spruce and pine seed orchards, etc. The research on spruce bark beetle pheromones resulted in the development of effective pheromone blends and traps as well as of the innovative method in bark beetle control, which lies in using pheromones for luring bark beetles into an environment unsuitable for breeding. To date, the insect species most harmful to Estonian forests have been identified. Among bark and wood-boring insects, these include Ips typographus and Ips duplicatus in spruce forests and Tomicus piniperda, T. minor and Pissodes piniphilus in pine forests. Among defoliating insects, Bupalus piniarius and Neodiprion sertifer have caused severe damage in pine stands and Operophtera fagata in birch stands. Among insects affecting reforestation, the most dangerous is Hylobius abietis. The steep rise in cutting volume in recent years has aggravated the problem of pine weevils and root-colonizing bark beetles. The species richness of forest entomofauna, particularly that of saproxylic insects, as well as distribution of rare and redlisted species, has become a prioritized research trend. A number of articles on forest insects, forest damage and forest pest prevention and control have been published
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