PESTS AND DISEASES

Belarusian forests are situated on the path of transboundary air transport of man caused emissions. They were repeatedly exposed by hurricanes, drought, belong to the potential outbrake zone of injurious insects gradation.

In connection with considerable damage caused by plant-feeder insects to the forestry of Belarus every year in forest resources preventive and destructive measures are taken. For biogeocenose integrity preservation it is essential to use ecologically safe chemical, biological and microbiological methods.

Forest Research Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus invented following forest protection substances: bacterial insecticidal preparation “Gomelin” for combating needle and leaf feeding pests, viral preparation “Disparin” against dangerous injurious insect - gipsy moth, pheromone preparations and application technologies. Use of pheromones for forest pest monitoring allows finding nidus of gipsy moth and silkmoth in an early forming stage and minimise liquidation costs. New biopreparation “Brevisin” since 2006 is meant for treatment of seeds and vegetans plant parts against plant pathogenic fungi, lodging and root rot protection of coniferous seedlings.

Forest Research Institute is investigating the reasons of fir-plantation drying, is developing methods to prevent the gradation of bark beetle and other stem pests, principles of control over forest injurious insects population using new genetic methods and sex pheromones.

Improving of forest protection system using high-efficient methods, substances and technologies will make a positive impact on ecological and resource potential of forests and contribute to natural complex preservation and to improvement of ecological situation in the Republic of Belarus.

Pests and diseases forest protection is realized by means of forest patological monitoring, preventive, sanitary and destructive measures.

Forest patological monitoring is carried out permanently in each forest enterprise for disclosure of pest and diseases nidi, quantitative and qualitative assessment of their condition, detection of damaged forest plots, getting indicators for timely forecasting and forest protective measures planning. The net of forest protective monitoring includes 12 ths plots for reconnoitering observation of 17 the most dangerous injurious insect species; net of 28 permanent routes for detailed study, where the stock of pest populations is taken and condition of populations is estimated; net of permanent sample plots, where the stands state dynamics of main forest formative species is noted.

Republic has serious scientific potential, which allows accomplishing forest protective tasks taking into consideration state-of-the-art world practice. The Ministry of Forestry maintain development on urgent forest protective questions within governmental programs, realizing by Forest Research Institute, Plant Protection Institute, Experimental Botany Institute, Belarusian State University, BSTU, the Central botanical gardens and other.

State of spruce stands in Belarusian forests became stabilize. Area of damaged stands made on 01.07.2007 6128 ha with reserve 144,1 ths m3, including 98,9 ha demanding final sanitary felling with reserve 25.2 ths m3. Final sanitary felling volume decreased 2,2 times comparing to relevant period of 2006, selection felling volume – 1,5 times.

At the beginning of 2007 there were put to proper state hard-leaved stands on the area of 5 535,8 ha with wood reserve 159,5 ths m3, including oak forest - 3 710 ha and 110,6 ths m3, ash forest - 1825,8 ha and 48,9 ths m3, what is 2,2 times more to the level of 2006 as a whole.

In 2007 forest pathological monitoring was realized on all forest lands, including monitoring with use of 5 pheromone types, created by Belarusian scientists. Set of preventing measures in stands and forest nurseries was taken on the area of more than 20 ths ha. Forest pest nidi don’t exist during the current year that is why forest aircraft treatment isn’t necessary.

The task of primary importance is putting of hard-leaved stands to proper state and realization of sanitary fellings (including transfer of damaged plots to major harvest) on the are of 17,3 ths ha with reserve 481,94 ths m3.