August 13th, 2024, Prague, Czech Republic – We are thrilled to announce the publication of our latest study, “Spruce bark beetle phenological modelling and drought risk within the framework of the TANABBO II model,” in Ecological Modelling. This research, led by two dedicated PhD students Nana Pirtskhalava-Karpova and Aleksandr Karpov, offers vital insights into sustainable forest management, specifically targeting the protection of spruce forests from the escalating threat posed by bark beetles in the face of changing climate conditions.
The study was conducted under the supervision of our project Coordinator Ing. Rastislav Jakuš, Ph.D., DrSc., whose expert guidance was instrumental in shaping the research direction. Additionally, the study was co-authored by Dr. Alexei Trubin, who contributed his expertise to the development of the phenological modelling approach.
Recent outbreaks of the spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus L.) in the Czech Republic and across Europe have resulted in significant losses to these valuable forests, severely impacting the forestry economy. The acceleration of this issue due to climate change emphasises the urgency of our findings.
Our study concentrates on the phenological modelling of the Eurasian spruce bark beetle and the assessment of water deficits in spruce stands. We conducted our research in the Horní Planá region of the Czech Republic, employing the TANABBO II software for phenological modelling and drought assessment.
This software is proving to be a critical tool in supporting decision-making processes in forest management. It enables the calculation of various scenarios that consider changes in precipitation and temperature—key factors influencing bark beetle development and water stress in spruce stands.
In recent months, our team has further developed a module that rapidly assesses situations based on weather forecasts and identifies optimal locations for bark beetle traps. This tool is essential in mitigating the impact of bark beetles through timely and effective interventions.
You can find more detail and the full text of the paper here.
For more information: Explore the TANABBO II project on GitHub to access the software and see how it’s making a difference in forest management.
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