Susceptibility of ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa (Dougl. ex Laws.), to mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins,attack in uneven-aged stands in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming USA

Mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins can cause extensive tree mortality in ponderosa pine, Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex Laws., forests in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming. Most studies that have examined stand susceptibility to mountain pine beetle have been conducted in even-aged stands. Land managers increasingly practice uneven-aged management. We established 84 clusters of four plots, one where bark beetle-caused mortality was present and three uninfested plots. For all plot trees we recorded species, tree diameter, and crown position and for ponderosa pine whether they were killed or infested by mountain pine beetle. Elevation, slope, and aspect were also recorded. We used classification trees to model the likelihood of bark beetle attack based on plot and site variables. The probability of individual tree attack within the infested plots was estimated using logistic regression. Basal area of ponderosa pine in trees ≥25.4 cm in diameter at breast height (dbh) and ponderosa pine stand density index were correlated with mountain pine beetle attack. Regression trees and linear regression indicated that the amount of observed tree mortality was associated with initial ponderosa pine basal area and ponderosa pine stand density index. Infested stands had higher total and ponderosa pine basal area, total and ponderosa pine stand density index, and ponderosa pine basal area in trees ≥25.4 cm dbh. The probability of individual tree attack within infested plots was positively correlated with tree diameter with ponderosa pine stand density index modifying the relationship. A tree of a given size was more likely to be attacked in a denser stand. We conclude that stands with higher ponderosa pine basal area in trees >25.4 cm and ponderosa pine stand density index are correlated with an increased likelihood of mountain pine beetle bark beetle attack. Information form this study will help forest managers in the identification of uneven-aged stands with a higher likelihood of bark beetle attack and expected levels of tree mortality.     

Risk rating for mountain pine beetle infestation of lodgepole pine forests over large areas with ordinal regression modelling

The mountain pine beetle Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins is endemic to lodgepole pine, Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelmann, forests in western Canada. However, the current beetle epidemic in this area highlights the challenges faced by forest managers tasked with prioritizing stands for mitigation activities such as salvage harvesting and direct control methods. In western Canada, the operational risk rating system for mountain pine beetle is based on biological knowledge gained from a rich legacy of stand-scale field studies. Due to the large spatial (millions of hectares affected) and temporal (over 10 years) extents of the current epidemic, new research into large-area mountain pine beetle processes has revealed further insights into the landscape-scale characteristics of beetle infested forests. In this paper, we evaluated the potential for this new knowledge to augment an established system for rating the short-term risk of tree mortality in a stand due to mountain pine beetle. New variables explored for utility in risk rating include direct shortwave radiation, site index, diameter at breast height, the temporal trends in local beetle populations, Biogeoclimatic Ecosystem Classification and beetle–host interaction variables. Proportional odds ordinal regression was used to develop a model for the Vanderhoof Forest District in west-central British Columbia. Prediction on independent data was assessed with the area under the receiver operator curve (AUC), indicating good discriminatory power (AUC = 0.84) for predicting levels of mountain pine beetle-caused pine mortality.     

华山松大小蠹对华山松韧皮部营养和矿物元素的利用

对健康和蓝变真菌侵染的华山松韧皮部以及华山松大小蠹排泄物中粗蛋白、粗脂肪、粗纤维、淀粉、还原性糖、可溶性总糖、游离态氨基酸和Na,K,Ca,Mg,Fe,Cu,Mn,Zn等8种元素进行分析,结果表明:华山松大小蠹对寄主华山松营养物质的利用率依次为:还原性糖＞粗脂肪＞可溶性总糖＞粗纤维＞淀粉＞粗蛋白.华山松韧皮部的17种游离态氨基酸中含有华山松大小蠹必需的9种氨基酸;华山松大小蠹对寄主华山松韧皮部组织内的Na,K,Ca,Mg,Fe,Cu,Mn,Zn等8种矿物元素需求量存在明显差异,其中对K元素的需求量最大,而对Cu,Mn,Zn 3种元素的需求量较小.同时,华山松大小蠹共生真菌能够加速华山松木质部和韧皮部中营养的分解转化,为华山松大小蠹在被害华山松韧皮部和木质部间的生存和发育创造条件,并加速被害华山松树势的衰弱和死亡.     

Surface mould growth on wooden claddings – effects of transient wetting,relative humidity,temperature and material properties

ABSTRACT

Effects of climatic factors and material properties on the development of surface mould growth on wooden claddings were investigated in a laboratory experiment. Specimens of aspen (Populus tremula), Siberian larch (Larix Sibirica), American white oak (Querqus alba), Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris), Norway spruce (Picea abies) and thermally modified pine were incubated in eight climatic chambers at specified wetting periods (2 or 4?h per day), relative humidity (58–86%) and temperature conditions (10–27°C). Surface mould growth was assessed weekly for 13 weeks, and the results were evaluated statistically using Generalized Estimating Equations logistic regression models. All tested climatic factors had significant effects on the mould growth, and there were significant differences between the materials. The ranking of the materials varied with temperature and over time. Aspen, pine sapwood and oak were overall most susceptible to mould growth, and thermally modified pine least susceptible. There were significant differences between sapwood and heartwood for pine and spruce. The effect of density was tested on the spruce heartwood material, but was not found to be significant. The results can be used to further develop prediction models for mould growth on wooden claddings.     

Damage by pathogens and insects to Scots pine and lodgepole pine 25 years after reciprocal plantings in Canada and Sweden

A combined species – provenance – family experiment with Scots pine and lodgepole pine was planted in Canada and Sweden. One aim of the experiment was to evaluate the two species’ sensitivities to pathogens and insects 25 years after establishment in their non-native continents. In Canada, Scots pine had better average survival than lodgepole pine, but survival rates among trees from the best seed-lots were equal. In Canada only western gall rust infected Scots pine to some extent, and mountain pine beetles attacked and killed Scots pine more frequently than lodgepole pine. At one site in Sweden, lodgepole pine had higher survival rates than Scots pine, whether evaluated as an overall average or with data from only the best surviving seed-lots. At the other Swedish site, the species’ survival rates were equal, largely since moose damage was much more frequent on lodgepole pine than on Scots pine. Adaptation to local conditions seemed to be important in the resistance of stem breakage caused by heavy snowfalls. The exotic species generally seemed to resist the new threats, but more serious damage by mountain pine beetle on Scots pine than on lodgepole pine in Canada demonstrates possible drawbacks when using exotic species which are phylogenetically similar to native.     

马尾松木材材性特点及加工利用研究

马尾松是我国松属树种中地理分布最广的一种,也是南方的造林先锋树种和主要用材树种。文中从物理力学性能、纤维特性以及渗透性等方面论述了马尾松木材材性特点,介绍了马尾松木材干燥及脱脂处理技术、木材蓝变及其防治方法,总结了马尾松木材在实木利用、人造板生产等领域的应用现状,展望了马尾松木材加工利用的发展前景。     

Aerially applied verbenone-releasing laminated flakes protect Pinus contorta stands from attack by Dendroctonus ponderosae in California and Idaho

We tested a new formulation of verbenone, an antiaggregation pheromone of the mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), for area-wide protection of lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Douglas ex Loudon) stands in the western United States. Helicopter applications of verbenone-releasing laminated flakes were made at the rate of 370 g of active ingredient/ha to two sites, one in California and one in Idaho, during summer 2005. Each site consisted of five 20.23-ha treated plots and five matching 20.23-ha untreated plots. We assessed D. ponderosae flight into study plots using traps baited with aggregation pheromones and we tallied D. ponderosae attack rates on P. contorta trees in treated and control plots before and after application. There were no significant differences between numbers of D. ponderosae trapped on treated and control plots. However, a significantly smaller proportion of P. contorta trees was attacked in treated plots than in control plots at both sites; the attack rate in untreated stands was roughly three times that of treated stands in both California and Idaho, even at this low application rate. Furthermore, attack rate in 2004 was a significant explanatory variable for the response in 2005 regardless of treatment in both California and Idaho. There was no significant treatment effect at either site on attraction of Temnochila chlorodia (Coleoptera: Trogositidae) Mannerheim, a key predator of D. ponderosae, to the prey aggregation pheromone.     

Effect of management on the spatial spread of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) in Banff National Park

To evaluate control measures, the spread of mountain pine beetles, Dendroctonus ponderosae, in management and monitoring regions in Banff National Park was analyzed for years 1997 to 2004. The Park allowed mountain pine beetles to follow their natural course in a monitoring zone (74,041 ha), whereas in a management zone (45,997 ha) an extensive eradication program was established in 2001 which included baiting mountain pine beetles and cutting and burning all colonized trees. We used data collected from an annual aerial survey and the geo-referenced location of trees that were cut and removed to assess if the area colonized and the spatial extent of mountain pine beetles differed between the two zones. After 4 years, the control measures did not significantly affect the area colonized by mountain pine beetles, and in 2004 mountain pine beetles were still expanding in both zones, although at a slow rate (1.23 ha per year). The spatial extent and the rate at which 500 m × 500 m cells (25 ha) were colonized were much reduced in the management zone. Thus, the management program appeared to have reduced the success of long distance movement as measured by colonizing new 25 ha cells, but short distance dispersal remained successful as indicated by the continued increase in area colonized. The effectiveness of control measures was probably limited by the number of colonized trees that were missed and by survival rates determined by other untested factors.     

Ophiostomatoid fungi isolated from three different pine species in Argentinian Patagonia

Pine plantations in Argentinian Patagonia cover ca. 95,000 ha in Chubut, Río Negro and Neuquén provinces. Exotic bark beetles (Orthotomicus laricis, Hylastes ater and Hylurgus ligniperda) commonly occur in freshly cut logs, stumps and slash. These beetles are vectors of “ophiostomatoid” fungi which include primary tree pathogens as well as important agents of blue stain. The aim of this study was to identify these beetle‐associated fungi. Sawing mills and pine plantations were surveyed three consecutive years. Fungal isolates from stained logs, processed wood and insect galleries were identified based on morphological and DNA sequence comparisons of ITS and β‐tubulin gene regions. Two Grosmannia, one Graphilbum and three Ophiostoma species were identified. Ophiostoma piliferum and O. peregrinum sp. nov. were the most frequently isolated taxa. O. peregrinum occurred in all provinces, colonizing different conifer species and, interestingly, also the native broadleaved species Nothofagus dombeyi. Pine plantation forestry in southern South America includes Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. Emerging data from Argentina, Chile and Uruguay revealed some coincidences between these countries, but also several differences, probably, as a result of multiple introduction events.