BARK BEETLES IN SLOVENE FORESTS IN THE PERIOD 1995-2004

Abstract

The past decade has not been favourable for forest protection. Dry years at the start of the nineties of the last century were followed by infestations of bark beetles. In the winters 1995/96 and 1996/97, Slovenian forest were affected by heavy snow and sleet. Broken and damaged conifer trunks and branches were especially problematic from the aspect of protection against bark beetles . The years of natural catastrophes were followed by years that were successively warmer. The driest and the hottest year was 2003. High temperatures and a long dry period coincided with fructification of Norway spruce. The result was a dramatic increase in bark beetle populations. This exceptional population explosion continued in 2004, when a record amount of timber, 570.000 m³, was felled because of bark beetles, so that the last two years could be called »bark beetle« years.