Effects of Forest Structure On Dendroctonus Valens Damage Under Natural and Human Disturbances

Abstract

Background In recent years, the red turpentine beetle (Dendroctonus valens, RTB), an invasive pest species has spread northward along the distribution of pine forests, forming a potential threat to healthy pine forests in North China. Previous studies have shown that natural (e.g., fire) and human (e.g., felling) disturbances can significantly promote bark beetle damage. However, few studies have considered the effect of forest landscape structure on bark beetle damage under disturbance conditions. Here we used generalized linear models and generalized linear mixed models to explore the effects of multi-scale factors on RTB damage under different disturbance conditions (presence or absence) in 109 forest stands in the Heilihe National Nature Reserve, Inner Mongolia. Result Disturbance (i.e., fire and stolen felling) could significantly promote the occurrence of RTB. In the absence of disturbance, small-scale stand factors (i.e., aspect and canopy density) played important roles in the prediction of RTB damage. In the presence of disturbance, forest landscape structure (i.e., forest isolation) was the main factor affecting RTB invasion. Conclusion In the presence of disturbance, the forest structure played an important role in the process of the diffusion of RTB from the surrounding habitat to the disturbance. This study, which emphasizes the potential importance of forest landscape structure on RTB spread, not only provides new insights into understanding the roles of large-scale factors but also assists in the implementation of pest management programs.