BITES FROM THE BLOG

82 AUGUST 20 19 FORESTRYJOURNAL.CO.UK

P

ESTS and youngsters were two of the big topics

on the Forestry Machinery Operators Blog this

month, with too much of the former and not

enough of the latter posing problems for the

sector.

A frustrated English blog member was

having problems with some pesky pests

and turned to the congregation for

advice: “Has anybody got a pocket

full of predators for my spruce bark

beetle?”

A sympathetic member responded:

“That’s not good. I haven’t seen

any problems up here apart from

Wellingtonias and Douglas went a bit

brown after the Beast from the East.

Phytopthora is starting to move from

the west side to the east and there’s been

a few Ash trees showing symptoms of ash

die-back.”

Some criticism in the way the affected forest had

been managed came up, with one user stirring the pot:

“If the forests were managed properly, i.e. thinned, we

wouldn’t have a problem.”

A number the blog members didn’t take kindly to

this assessment. One hit back: “That clearly has been

thinned quite heavily and the affected tree is the most

open of the lot.”

Another added: “Thinning 20–40% in a monoculture

planted at 2,700 ha will hardly make a difference.”

One member chimed in with the type of

in-depth answer that illustrates the depth

of knowledge and insight the Forest

Machine Operators Blog has to offer:

“Rhizophagus grandis is a beetle

that predates the Dendroctinus

micans spruce beetle. It will keep

the spruce beetle at a low level but

should not wipe it out entirely. If it

does, then the predatory beetle dies

out along with the spruce beetle and

leaves the woods vulnerable to another

wave of infestation, making losses far

worse. Bear in mind that the damage you

can see will have occurred at least one year

ago, so the spruce beetle is always one step ahead!

“If infection becomes too widespread it may be worth

considering premature clear-felling before you end

up with a stand of balsa wood. Trying to load lorries

to weight with beetle-damaged spruce is not fun for

anyone involved. Speak to Forest Research for good

advice and information. Good luck!”

Above left: Duncan M.

Gillies.

Above right: Robbie

Robertson.

Left inset: Thomas

Taylor.

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APPEAL?