19 • 06 • 2019
LVM Orders a Research on Forest Stand Pests
JSC “Latvia's State Forests” (LVM) calls for proposals for the conduct of a scientific institution research “Identification of the Risks of Propagation of Trunk Pests in Lubāna Forest District and “Stiklu purvi” Nature Reserve Burnt-out Area. Estimation of Pine Web-spinning Sawfly Propagation in Nīcgale Forest District”.
The aim of the study is to identify activities in different parts of Latvia, evaluating the risks of forest pest growth due to abiotic factors, as well as to explore new methods for the remote assessing of the development of insect populations.
The following four directions have been defined for the study:
To evaluate the preventive measures taken by LVM in flood-damaged spruce plants in Lubāna Forest District (restrictions on economic activity and placement of pheromone traps), as well as to evaluate the risk of spruce bark beetle propagation;
To evaluate the dendrophagic pests and their impact on the damaged forest stands in the burnt-out area of the nature reserve “Stiklu purvi” and the adjacent undamaged forest stands in a 500 m-wide band around the burnt-out area without taking into account the boundaries of the nature reserve, as well as to collect data on the specially protected pyrophilic species in the plots (including the recording of pests);
To evaluate the diapause mechanism of wintering larvae of the pine web-spinning sawfly in Daugavpils area;
To identify other (innovative) methods for assessing insect development factors and their relations, replacing the surveys in nature, for example, using remote research methods to assess the spread of pest growth (defoliation changes), as well as preparing recommendations for limiting their damage.
