Bark Beetle Outbreaks in Europe: State of Knowledge and Ways Forward for Management

Tomáš Hlásny (), Louis König, Paal Krokene, Marcus Lindner, Claire Montagné-Huck, Jörg Müller, Hua Qin, Kenneth Raffa, Mart-Jan Schelhaas, Miroslav Svoboda, Heli Viiri and Rupert Seidl
Additional contact information
Tomáš Hlásny: Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences - CZU - Czech University of Life Sciences Prague
Louis König: WUR - Wageningen University and Research [Wageningen]
Paal Krokene: NIBIO - Norsk institutt for bioøkonomi=Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research
Marcus Lindner: EFI - European Forest Institute
Jörg Müller: JMU - Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg = University of Würzburg [Würsburg, Germany]
Hua Qin: Mizzou - University of Missouri [Columbia] - University of Missouri System
Kenneth Raffa: University of Wisconsin-Madison
Mart-Jan Schelhaas: WUR - Wageningen University and Research [Wageningen]
Miroslav Svoboda: CZU - Czech University of Life Sciences Prague
Heli Viiri: LUKE - Natural Resources Institute Finland
Rupert Seidl: TUM - Technische Universität Munchen - Technical University Munich - Université Technique de Munich, National Park of Berchtesgaden - Partenaires INRAE

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Abstract: Purpose of Review Outbreaks of tree-killing bark beetles have reached unprecedented levels in conifer forests in the northern hemisphere and are expected to further intensify due to climate change. In parts of Europe, bark beetle outbreaks and efforts to manage them have even triggered social unrests and political instability. These events have increasingly challenged traditional responses to outbreaks, and highlight the need for a more comprehensive management framework. Recent Findings Several synthesis papers on different aspects of bark beetle ecology and management exist. However, our understanding of outbreak drivers and impacts, principles of ecosystem management, governance, and the role of climate change in the dynamics of ecological and social systems has rapidly advanced in recent years. These advances are suggesting a reconsideration of previous management strategies. We synthesize the state of knowledge on drivers and impacts of bark beetle outbreaks in Europe and propose a comprehensive context-dependent framework for their management. We illustrate our ideas for two contrasting societal objectives that represent the end-members of a continuum of forest management goals: wood and biomass production and the conservation of biodiversity and natural processes. For production forests, we propose a management approach addressing economic, social, ecological, infrastructural, and legislative aspects of bark beetle disturbances. In conservation forests, where non-intervention is the default option, we elaborate under which circumstances an active intervention is necessary, and whether such an intervention is in conflict with the objective to conserve biodiversity. Our approach revises the current management response to bark beetles in Europe and promotes an interdisciplinary social-ecological approach to dealing with disturbances.

Keywords: Bark beetle outbreaks; Climate change; Forest disturbances; Societal objectives; Forest ecosystem services (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021-09
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Published in Current Forestry Reports, 2021, 7 (3), pp.138-165. ⟨10.1007/s40725-021-00142-x⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-03726465

DOI: 10.1007/s40725-021-00142-x

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