MAIN PESTS OF PINE FORESTS IN SOUTH EAST EUROPE

Pines are native throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere and have been introduced to most temperate and subtropical regions of the world, where they are grown for timber and cultivated as

ornamental plants. Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L..) is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus

Mountains, and north to well inside the Arctic Circle in Fennoscandia. In central and southern Europe there are numerous additional pine species, including European black pine, mountain pine,

Macedonian pine, and Swiss pine. Pinus sylvestris is an evergreen coniferous tree growing up to 35 m in height with a 1 m trunk diameter when mature. The lifespan is normally 150–300 years. The bark

is thick, scaly dark grey-brown on the lower trunk, and thin, flaky and orange on the upper trunk and branches. The foliage ('needles') are a glaucous blue-green, often darker green to dark yellow-green

in winter, 2.5–5 cm long and 1–2 mm wide. The seed cones are red at pollination, then pale brown, globose and 4–8 mm diameter in their first year, expanding to full size in their second year, pointed

ovoid-conic, green, then grey-green to yellow-brown at maturity, 3-7.5 cm in length. The cone scales have a flat to pyramidal apophysis, with a small spine on the umbo. Seeds are blackish, 3–5 mm long

with a pale brown 12–20 mm wing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinus_sylvestris) . The health status of individual pine trees is characterized mainly based on defoliation, i.e. the relative foliar loss of a tree

crown compared to that of a fully-leafed, healthy reference tree growing in the same stand and site conditions. Tree crown defoliation is a non-specific damage symptom, normally associated with a

range of harmful factors, each of which can act separately or together. To determine the effects of single factors on the amount of damage and their importance is usually very difficult. It is usually

impossible to separate the influence of climate change from other harmful factors (insects, pathogens, air pollution) affecting the health status in forest ecosystems.

Figure 1. The natural range of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris)

(http://www.euforgen.org) and morphology of the needles (A), seed

cones (B) and buds (http://commons.wikimedia.org/).

Figure 2. Pine defoliation is defined as needle loss in the assessable crown as compared to a reference tree. Defoliation is

assessed in 5 classes and they are: 0 (0 – 10 % defoliation), 1 ( 11 – 25 % defoliation), 2 (26 – 59 % defoliation), 3 (60 – 99

%), 4 (100 % defoliation). (Photos: P. Fabianek. )

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8 10 12

6 1 2 4 5

9

10 11 12 12

Main pests on branches and shoots: Pine shoot moth larvae feed inside the primary shoots

causing serious deformation. After re-growth the shoot remains deformed. The disease

Cenangium canker usually occurs on lower, shaded branches of pine trees. Small, black fruiting

bodies appear on dead branches. The main symptoms of pine twisting rust are bent or broken

shoots in the upper crown of young Scots pines.

Figure 4. Major pests: A - Pine shoot moth larva (Rhyacionia buoliana), (Photo: Gy. Csoka);

B - Cenangium canker (Cenangium ferruginosum), (Photo: A. Kunca); ; C - Pine twisting rust

(Melampsora pinitorqua), (Photos: P. Kapitola).

Pine decline and main pests on trunks: Pine decline is attributed to the interactions of several stressors, including biotic factors such as pine needle eating insects, pine needle cast, mistletoes and

climate change. Abiotic factors, such as devastating hurricanes, strong winds, wet snow, fire, persistent drought or logging damage can have detrimental effects on pine forests. Once a pine has

succumbed to a primary pest, secondary pests begin to attack the tree (large pine weevil, six toothed bark beetle, large pine shoot beetle, annosus root disease, honey fungus, red heart of pine and

so on). These secondary pests are normally attracted to pines recently attacked by abiotic and biotic stressors.

Figure 5. Major pests and damage on pine trunks. A: Accumulation of wet snow on pine trees, (Photos: S. Mirtchev); ; B: European mistletoe (Viscum album), (Photos: J. Samanek); C: Large pine

weevil (Hylobius abietis), Photos: Gy. Csóka); D: Six toothed bark beetle (Ips sexdentatus), (Photos: Cy. Csoka): E: Large pine shoot beetle (Tomicus piniperda), (Photos: Cy. Csoka); F: Red heart of

pine (Phellinus pini), (Photo: USDA Forest Service Archive).

A B

Main pests on needles. Certain forest pests (insects and pathogens) affect pine trees at

different stages. Insects feeding on pine needles (e.g. Pine processionary moth, Pine sawfly,

European pine sawfly) are damaging to both young and older trees. Larvae feed on needles in

large groups. Pine needle cast is a general term used to describe diseases in which needle-like

foliage is shed from a tree. Once a pine has succumbed to a primary pest, secondary pests

begin to attack the trees (e.g. bark beetles).

Figure 3. Major pests on pine needles. A - Pine processionary moth (Thaumetopoea

pityocampa), (Photo: F. Lakatos); B - European pine sawfly (Neodiprion sertifer), (Photo: Gy.

Csoka); C- Pine sawfly (Diprion pini), (Photo: Gy. Csoka); D - Pine needle cast (Lophodermium

seditiosum), (Photo: A. Kunca).

A B C C D

A B D F

B

A B C D E F

D E F A

No defoliation - 0 Slight defoliation - 1 Moderate defoliation - 2 Severe defoliation - 3

For additional information visit

www.fao.org/forestry/pests/en/

This publication has been made possible by the generous support of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland

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