Bark-beetles and wood borer pests of forests in specially protected natural areas of St. Petersburg and the possibilities of controlling their numbers

   The results of observations of the populations of dominant pests in forest ecosystems of specially protected natural areas (SPNA) of St. Petersburg are presented. The forest pathology survey was conducted in 2022 on 276.6 hectares in accordance with the approved procedure for conducting forest pathology surveys and the form of the forest pathology survey report. The greatest danger is posed by bark-beetles and wood borer pests and, in particular, the European spruce bark beetle Ips typographus. When calculating by the stock in forest pathology sections, its occurrence varied from 44 % to 95 %. In the case of assessing the occurrence in stands of different ages when calculating by the occurrence of inhabited trees from the total number of trees, the differences can be significant. Microfoci and species composition of pests were identified during route surveys. The dynamics of the European spruce bark beetle population was established during the analysis of model trees and the use of pheromone traps. Analysis of model trees in 2022 and 2023 and capture with pheromone traps showed that the outbreak of the bark beetle, which captured the spruce forests of the open-air natural territory of St. Petersburg, began in 2021 and ended in 2023. In the period from 2022 to 2024, the number of beetles caught with pheromone traps decreased annually by an order of magnitude. In 2024, the number of bark beetles corresponded to the background one. The main role in the attenuation of the outbreak was played by entomophages, primarily non-specific predators Thanasimus femoralis and Th. formicarius. Their reproduction led to a decrease in the number of pine beetles. Regulation of the number of pests in the open-air natural territory is hampered by the current regulatory framework for forest protection measures in the forest fund. Ash plantations of Dudergof Heights continue to degrade, where, in the foci of Halar necrosis, a high number of ash beetles has been noted. In these plantations, there is a high probability of appearances and reproduction of the emerald ash borer Agrilus planipennis.

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