Abstract

The pine weevil Hylobius abietis L. is an economically important pest insect that kills high proportions of conifer seedlings in reforestation areas. It is present in conifer forests all over Europe but weevil abundance and risk for damage varies considerably between areas. This study aimed to obtain a useful model for predicting damage risks by analyzing survey data from 292 regular forest plantations in northern Sweden. A model of pine weevil attack was constructed using various site characteristics, including both climatic factors and factors related to forest management activities. The optimal model was rather imprecise but showed that the risk of pine weevil attack can be predicted approximatively with three principal variables: 1) the proportion of seedlings expected to be planted in mineral soil rather than soil covered with duff and debris, 2) age of clear-cut at the time of planting, and 3) calculated temperature sum at the location. The model was constructed using long-run average temperature sums for epoch 2010, and so effects of climate change can be inferred from the model by adjustment to future epochs. Increased damage risks with a warmer climate are strongly indicated by the model. Effects of a warmer climate on the geographical distribution and abundance of the pine weevil are also discussed. The new tool to better estimate the risk of damage should provide a basis for foresters in their choice of countermeasures against pine weevil damage in northern Europe.

Keywords

clear-cut age; conifer seedling; damage prediction; reforestation; soil scarification; temperature sum; warmer climate

Published in

Silva Fennica
2017, Volume: 51, number: 5, article number: 7751
Publisher: FINNISH SOC FOREST SCIENCE-NATURAL RESOURCES INST FINLAND

SLU Authors

• Nordlander, Göran

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Mason, Euan

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • University of Canterbury

• Hjelm, Karin

  • Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Forestry Research Institute of Sweden, Skogforsk

• Nordenhem, Henrik

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Hellqvist, Claes

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Associated SLU-program

SLU Plant Protection Network


Sustainable Development Goals

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts


UKÄ Subject classification

Forest Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.7751

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/93375