Only «scalpel» can help suffered Pushcha?
The article by by Sergei Kurkach,
Published in «Zviazda» (The Star) Newspaper, #30 (24714),
February 6, 2003
I was really impressed by the unreal and desperate picture that I had seen in some parts of Belovezhskaya Pushcha.
A tree cutting was carried out close to the «heart» of the National park. While my mind realized that it was a sanitary felling of dead trees, my heart rejected the reality. It was not the bad dream-sleep.
As managers of the National Park say, first attacks of bark beetles to spruce trees were registered in summer 2001, a strong heat favoured them. So they had occupied 420 ha of the National park till the winter 2001. Although the active struggle against the bark beetle was acted and quite big finances — more then 35 million rubbles just from the Government — were allocated, merciless bark beetles occupied the area of more than 1,880 ha of spruce forest during the first part of 2002. The volume of damaged timber reached 115,000 cubic meters. The malicious beetle affected the bark on spruces what amounted more then 200,000 cubic meters of spruce timber in the last autumn.
Unfortunately terrible consequences increased due to two strong hurricanes that intruded into Pushcha in February and July last year. They crushed forest stands on the territory of more than 181 ha and broke out more than 100,000 cubic meters of timber through the whole territory of the National park.
These windfall trees had to be cut the first because of the risk of forest fires during the hot season. The delay was dangerous. That is why clear sanitary cuttings were realised on the territory of 167 ha. The Ministry of Nature Protection and Committee of Forestry authorized cuttings. Active sanitary cuttings are continued at the presence. It's a pity, but there are no tools to reduce hurricane while there are some for the bark beetle, sometimes quite effective.
It is well known that the bark beetle attacks ill and weakened mature spruces that begin to suffer as a consequence of the heat and the deficit of water. There are many drained swamps around the Pushcha so the bark beetle just waited suitable conditions for the big meal. In the time of the heavy heat the number of the beetle «army» runs up to 4 — 5 millions per ha. Then it begins to eat even healthy powerful spruces and sometimes (as exclusion) weak pine-trees.
Pure spruce forests cover 14 % of the Pushcha's territory today. There are also mixed forests that also include spruce trees. According to last estimations, 20 % of the Pushcha's forests are more or less damaged by bark beetle. What is there future? Will they die after the one or two years and then will they be cut?
According to vice-manager of the Property Management Department of the President of Belarus Galina Volchuga: «Belarusian side was discussing a lot to make a decision how to struggle against bark beetle. Our scientists discussed much about the necessity of selective sanitary cuttings in Pushcha: will they preserve Pushcha or is it enough just to monitor the progress of natural processes? And while we only were discussing and monitoring the problem of forest services during 6 years, our colleagues from the Polish Part of Pushcha took measures against the bark beetle. That is why sanitary cuttings are realised in bigger volumes now. There are many died trees in Pushcha. It's a sad consequence of our delay».
General director of the Belovezhskaya Pushcha National Park Nikolai Bambiza hopes that such bad situation when bark beetles spreads rapidly will be overcome this year. So the forest will not perish so rapidly. They will produce and distribute 10,000 pheromone traps. The administration plans to put about 20,000 cubic meters of spruce trap logs. Then after beetles will populate these logs they will be removed out the forest together with young brood bark (larvae of bark beetles). Of course we shall realise the sanitary cuttings too. But we shall cut only lost spruce trees.
This time forest experts, directors of scientific institutes, representatives of NGO's have come to the Pushcha together with journalists. We suggest their thoughts about large-scale sanitary cuttings.
Deputy director of environmental
According to the some scientist sanitary cuttings in winter period bring a little effect to population of the bark beetle, because beetles spend the winter not in the bark but in the forest litter near the spruce-tree. Rational cutting must be realised in April — May, when all beetles have drilled «houses» and settled spruce trees.
Mikhail Nikiforov, Director of the Institute of Zoology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus: «The bark beetle attacked Pushcha many times before, but the last attack… Hurricanes, droughts, bark beetles — all these factors influenced Pushcha together, and it did not resist. Now the results of this anomaly look horrible. According to the experts the Global warming have waken the bark beetle. Droughts and heat in summer and mild winter favoured bark beetle especially. We had 7 very warm winters and 6 droughts during last 10 years. The spruce is the tree typical for Taiga zone and it suffers much of heat: feels itself bad and weak. The bark beetle attacks just such weaken spruce trees».
Somebody says that the administration of the National Park did not pay attention to the bark beetle in time. That is not so. The bark beetle spread so rapidly that our specialists had no time to react to this infection. There are several reasons why the bark beetle has spread not so widely in the Polish part of Pushcha. The area covered by spruce forests is twice a little there. And participation of the spruce as the forest stand component is three or four times less in mixed forests. The Wilderness Protection Zone, where actions against the bark beetle are prohibited, occupies only 4 000 ha at the Polish side of Pushcha, whereas our part of Pushcha owns 16 000 ha of forests of the strict regime protection.
Large-scale sanitary cutting is a painful measure. We have difficulties in sale of timber logged in the forest sector. That is why we could avoid timber harvestings in Pushcha. But I don't know how to look upon the fact that 100 % of old spruce trees in the strict protection zone are dead. Must we wait the rest of the Pushcha to be dead?
There are many young spruce trees in our forests so this species will reproduce quickly. If we cut dead spruce trees the trunks will look bad. But I understand those people who thought that we must earn money. If it is buffer zone — we must cut. The Poles advise us to cut not only dead but also ill trees near which brown powder have been found (sign of the bark beetle — translator's remark).
I and other scientists were against cuttings of the ill but still living trees. But nobody can ensure that the climate will not change, and one of hot summers the bark beetle can expand on the whole area covered by spruce forests.
What to do now? Not to take measures and to remain without money? Forest workers think that it is inadmissible to leave the timber in the forest to decay. I think that the truth is between these extreme points of view. We must not cut in the strict protected zone of the National park, but we must realize selected cuttings in the other territories. Scientists already made conclusions that we shall have the same bad condition of spruce forests if the next summer is so hot as a previous one. The bark beetle will continue to spread till it eats up the last spruce tree.