Silva Balcanica 22(2): 91-102, doi: 10.3897/silvabalcanica.22.e77233
Biotic factors damaging forest stands in Gornata Koria and Chuprene Reserves in Western Balkan Range, Bulgaria
Margarita Georgieva‡, Georgi Georgiev‡, Plamen Mirchev‡, Gergana Zaemdzhikova‡, Danail Doychev§, Sonya Bencheva§, Nikolay Zafirov§, Stelian Dimitrov|, Martin Iliev|, Vladislav Trenkin¶‡ Forest Research Institute - Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria§ University of Forestry, Sofia, Bulgaria| Sofia University 'St. Kliment Ohridski', Sofia, Bulgaria¶ Geographica Ltd., Sofia, Bulgaria
Corresponding author: Margarita Georgieva ( margaritageorgiev@gmail.com ) Academic editor: Ivaylo Markoff © Margarita Georgieva, Georgi Georgiev, Plamen Mirchev, Gergana Zaemdzhikova, Danail Doychev, Sonya Bencheva, Nikolay Zafirov, Stelian Dimitrov, Martin Iliev, Vladislav Trenkin. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Citation:
Georgieva M, Georgiev G, Mirchev P, Zaemdzhikova G, Doychev D, Bencheva S, Zafirov N, Dimitrov S, Iliev M, Trenkin V (2021) Biotic factors damaging forest stands in Gornata Koria and Chuprene Reserves in Western Balkan Range, Bulgaria. Silva Balcanica 22(2): 91-102. https://doi.org/10.3897/silvabalcanica.22.e77233 |  |
Abstract
Abstract
Assessment and monitoring of health status in deteriorated forest stands in Gornata Koria and Chuprene Reserves in Western Balkan Range (Bulgaria) were conducted in 2017. An integrated approach (based on remote sensing technologies and terrestrial validation) was applied. A series of subsequent terrain observations were carried out in both protected areas mainly in dead or in poor health status stands. As a result, sixteen insect species were identified in Gornata Koria and nine pests in Chuprene Reserves. The predominant number of pests included bark beetles and weevils (Curculionidae), longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), etc. Attacks caused by the European bark beetle (Ips typographus) formed the main disturbance in the Norway spruce forests in both reserves. Ten parasitic and ten saprophytic fungi were identified in the stands of the Norway spruce (Picea abies), silver fir (Abies alba) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica). Among the parasitic fungi, six species were identified as destructive (Armillaria sp., Heterobasidion annosum, Fomitopsis pinicola, Fomes fomentarius, Ramaria flava and Pholiota squarrosa).
Assessment and monitoring of health status in deteriorated forest stands in Gornata Koria and Chuprene Reserves in Western Balkan Range (Bulgaria) were conducted in 2017. An integrated approach (based on remote sensing technologies and terrestrial validation) was applied. A series of subsequent terrain observations were carried out in both protected areas mainly in dead or in poor health status stands. As a result, sixteen insect species were identified in Gornata Koria and nine pests in Chuprene Reserves. The predominant number of pests included bark beetles and weevils (Curculionidae), longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), etc. Attacks caused by the European bark beetle (Ips typographus) formed the main disturbance in the Norway spruce forests in both reserves. Ten parasitic and ten saprophytic fungi were identified in the stands of the Norway spruce (Picea abies), silver fir (Abies alba) and European beech (Fagus sylvatica). Among the parasitic fungi, six species were identified as destructive (Armillaria sp., Heterobasidion annosum, Fomitopsis pinicola, Fomes fomentarius, Ramaria flava and Pholiota squarrosa).
Keywords
protected areas, health condition, insect pests, fungal pathogens