Normative-legal basis of forest protection and its efficiency in regulation of pest population density in taiga forests

• Published in: Сибирский лесной журнал
• Main Author: A. V. Selikhovkin
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Russian
• Published: Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch Publishing House 2023
• Subjects: bark beetles and wood borers; forest pathological examination; forest health measures; Forestry; SD1-669.5; taiga
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.15372/SJFS20230104; https://doaj.org/article/1b5b88067ce342c691fbbd46191ccb61

An analysis was made of the current version of the documents that provide information on the dynamics of the density of pest populations and determine the appointment and implementation of sanitation activities in the forests of the Russian Federation, including the Procedure for the implementation of state forest pathological monitoring, the Rules for sanitation safety in forests; The procedure for conducting forest pathological examinations; Rules for the implementation of measures to prevent the spread of harmful organisms; Rules for the elimination of foci of harmful organisms. It has been established that in the zone of taiga forests, the legal framework for forest protection does not provide representative information on the state of pest populations, sanitation measures do not reduce the number of pests. A proposal has been made to change the scale of condition categories, especially categories 4 (shrinking), 5a (fresh dead tree) and 5d (dead tree). It is proposed to use the population of bark beetles and wood borer insects as the main characteristic of the state of trees along with the state of the crown. When the forest pathological unit is located in a small area inside the forest in wet forest types, it is recommended not to carry out sanitary felling, except in cases of the appearance of dangerous types of pathogens. It is proposed to remove preventive measures and other methods of controlling the spread and reproduction of pests and pathogens that are not related to tree felling from the legal framework of forest protection, and invite responsible forest users to apply these measures based on interaction with the authorized body of the subject of the Russian Federation. It is necessary to exclude from the normative documentation the possibility of burning logging residues, except for cases of development of specific diseases, in which even the transportation of logging residues poses a potential danger to the surrounding plantations.