BioProtect: Biotechnical procedures for bark beetle control
The project's objectives are to develop environmentally friendly biotechnological procedures for monitoring and controlling bark beetle populations as an innovation in the context of natural forest protection, and to test their implementation under practical conditions. The project will provide insecticide-free forest protection methods for practical application and support agricultural policy objectives of the German federal government. These objectives include the utilization of natural, insecticide-free methods for bark beetle control, mitigating the effects of expected climate change, and stabilizing forest health as well as the adaptability of forests. Enhancing natural feedback mechanisms is expected to prevent negative effects of insecticide use on the biological diversity of forests, promoting forest biodiversity and improving the adaptability of forests to climate change. The future application of the methods to be developed aims at preventing bark beetle infestations on the one hand, and preventing progeny from trees or timber that has already been colonized by bark beetles on the other hand. While the first aspect is particularly relevant in managed forests, the second aspect relates to both timber producing forests and management-free forests as well as to individual trees (including stacks of wood, storm-damaged timber, occurrence of deadwood and the like) which are not supposed to act as source for bark beetle spread. Moreover, new possibilities in bark beetle monitoring will be developed by extending existing approaches to bark beetles species that will occur in the increasing areas of deciduous forests, as well as to invasive species that hold a potential risk for German forest ecosystems.
With the proposed project, the existing procedures for bark beetle management will be further optimized with regard to the spectrum of chemical substances used and performed in large-scale field tests for the first time. The results to be derived from the project are essential for transferring these procedures into practice. Therefore, a practice handbook with recommendations for action will be developed, which pre-sents alternatives to the common use of insecticides in bark beetle management. The handbook will not only describe the effectiveness levels but also the ecological added value that can be achieved by environmentally friendly methods as well as the positive feedback on biological diversity (e. g. promotion of beneficial organisms, prevention of adverse effects) and consequently on the ability of forests to adapt to climate change.
Project coordinator:
Technische Universität Dresden (TUD)
Institut für Waldbau und Waldschutz, Professur für Waldschutz
Prof. Dr. Michael Müller
Project partners:
Technische Universität Dresden (TUD)
Institut für Waldbau und Waldschutz, Professur für Waldschutz
Prof. Dr. Michael Müller
Georg-August-Universität Göttingen (Uni Göttingen)
Abteilung Forstzoologie und Waldschutz
Prof. Dr. Stefan Schütz
Ostdeutsche Gesellschaft für Forstplanung mbH (OGF)
Niederlassung Sachsen
Dr. Michael Wehnert
Funded by:
