Forestry Department Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Forest Health & Biosecurity Working Papers OVERVIEW OF FOREST PESTS MONGOLIA January 2007 Forest Resources Development Service Working Paper FBS/26E Forest Management Division FAO, Rome, Italy Forestry Department Overview of forest pests - Mongolia DISCLAIMER The aim of this document is to give an overview of the forest pest1 situation in Mongolia. It is not intended to be a comprehensive review. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. © FAO 2007 1 Pest: Any species, strain or biotype of plant, animal or pathogenic agent injurious to plants or plant products (FAO, 2004). Overview of forest pests - Mongolia TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction.....................................................................................................................1 Forest pests......................................................................................................................1 Naturally regenerating forests.....................................................................................1 Insects.....................................................................................................................1 Diseases...................................................................................................................8 Other pests..............................................................................................................8 Diebacks and other conditions................................................................................8 Planted forests.............................................................................................................8 Insects.....................................................................................................................8 Diseases.................................................................................................................15 Other pests............................................................................................................15 Diebacks and other conditions..............................................................................15 Capacity for forest health protection.............................................................................16 Government level......................................................................................................16 Monitoring and detection..........................................................................................16 Data management......................................................................................................16 Pest management......................................................................................................16 Private landowners....................................................................................................16 References.....................................................................................................................16 Index.............................................................................................................................17 ii Overview of forest pests - Mongolia Background This paper is one of a series of FAO documents on forest-related health and biosecurity issues. The purpose of these papers is to provide early information on on-going activities and programmes, and to stimulate discussion. In an attempt to quantify the impacts of the many factors that affect the health and vitality of a forest, the Global Forest Resources Assessment 2005 (FRA 2005) asked countries to report on the area of forest affected by disturbances, including forest fires, insects, diseases and other disturbances such as weather-related damage. However, most countries were not able to provide reliable information because they do not systematically monitor these variables. In order to obtain a more complete picture of forest health, FAO continues to work on several follow-up studies. A review of forest pests in both naturally regenerating forests and planted forests was carried out in 25 countries representing all regions of the world. This Overview of forest pests represents one paper resulting from this review. Countries in this present series include Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, China, Cyprus, Colombia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Malawi, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Morocco, South Africa, Sudan, Thailand, Romania, Russian Federation, Uruguay; this list will be continuously updated. Comments and feedback are welcome. For further information or if you are interested in participating in this process and providing information on insect pests, diseases and mammals affecting forests and the forest sector in your country, please contact: Gillian Allard Forestry Officer (Forest Protection and Health) Forest Resources Development Service Forest Management Division Forestry Department FAO Viale delle Terme di Caracalla 00153 Rome, Italy Telephone: +39 06 570 53373 Fax: + 39 06 570 55137 E-mail: [email protected] All contributions will be fully acknowledged. Acknowledgements Information for Mongolia was compiled by W. Ciesla and B. Moore. iii Overview of forest pests - Mongolia MONGOLIA Introduction Mongolia has a total land area of 157 million hectares (FAO, 2006). It spans the major transition zone between the deserts of Central Asia and the boreal taiga of Siberia, which comprises six broad bio-geoclimatic zones. The climatic zones are desert, desert steppe, steppe, forest steppe, boreal forest and montane. The forest steppe, boreal forest and montane zones all exhibit varying depths and distributions of permafrost. Forests cover in Mongolia is approximately 10 million hectares (FAO, 2006). The forested areas of Mongolia can be divided into two broad types: the northern coniferous forests of the forest steppe, boreal forest and montane zones, and Saxaul forests of the southern desert and desert steppe. Mongolia’s principal tree species are Larix sibirica, Pinus sylvestris, Pinus cembra, Picea obovata and Betula spp. In 2000, the average annual area affected by insects in Mongolia was estimated at almost 2.9 million hectares (FAO, 2005). Forest pests By law, areas harvested for timber are required to be regenerated by the logging companies that do the harvesting. Planted forests are established with indigenous species, primarily pine and larch. Therefore the same complex of insects and diseases that affect naturally regenerating forests also affect planted forests. Naturally regenerating forests Insects Indigenous insects Dendrolimus sibiricus Tschetwerikov, 1908 Other scientific names: Dendrolimus laricus Tschetverikov; Dendrolimus superans sibiricus Tschetverikov Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae Common names: Siberian caterpillar; Siberian silk moth; larch caterpillar Host type: conifer Hosts: Larix spp.; Pinus spp. The Siberian silk moth feeds on the foliage of Larix and Pinus spp. and is considered a major pest of Mongolia’s forests. During 2003/2004, 159 000 ha of forests were infested by this insect. Dendrolimus sibiricus caterpillars cause significant defoliation of both natural and planted forests. As well as the impact on trees, the caterpillars of this moth have stinging hairs that can cause significant health problems in humans. This moth, unlike a number of other tree pests, is able to attack and kill healthy plants. Other effects are the loss of vigour, reduction in growth, reduced seed crops and tree mortality by secondary species. 1 Overview of forest pests - Mongolia The life cycle of this species lasts for more than two years. Outbreaks of this moth are cyclic, occurring about every 10-11 years following a few years of drought. The period between outbreaks is becoming shorter partly due to changing climate. The adults are strong fliers and can spread fairly rapidly. Pathways of introduction include natural movement of adults and the movement of eggs on nursery stock or forest products. http://www.fao.org/forestry/site/20528/en/mng http://www.eppo.org/QUARANTINE/action_list.htm http://spfnic.fs.fed.us/exfor/data/pestreports.cfm?pestidval=45&langdisplay=english Erannis jacobsoni Djakonov, 1926 Other scientific names: Hybernia jacobsoni Lepidoptera: Geometridae Common names: Jacobson's spanworm; Jacobson’s inchworm Host type: conifer Hosts: Larix spp.; L. gmelinii; L. sibirica Erannis jacobsoni or the Jacobson's spanworm only feeds on species of Larix. Feeding by larvae can lead to tree mortality resulting in the death of large areas of larch forests. This mortality is caused either directly by the feeding or by causing stress in the trees which makes them susceptible to secondary invasives such as bark beetles and woodborers. Erannis jacobsoni only completes one generation per year. Adults usually appear in autumn for about 6 weeks with the maximum adult activity a few weeks after emergence. They lay eggs which overwinter and first instar larvae appear at the end of May and the beginning of June. The larvae feed on needles with highest defoliation occuring in mid- July. Populations can reach a density of 6 000 larvae per tree. They leave the trees to pupate in the soil. The adult females are wingless hence there is limited capacity for dispersal at the adult phase, however dispersal can occur either in the egg phase by passive transport on young plants or by the ballooning of young larvae on air currents. Frequently sequential attacks occur on the same plant which can lead to mortality particularly in young trees. Outbreaks of this pest often correspond with times of drought or stressed trees. http://www.spfnic.fs.fed.us/exfor/data/pestreports.cfm?pestidval=139&langdisplay=engli sh Ips sexdentatus (Boerner, 1767) Other scientific names: Dermestes sexdentatus; Bostrichus pinastri; Tomicus stenographus Coleoptera: Scolytidae Common names: six-spined engraver beetle; six-toothed bark beetle Host type: conifer Hosts: Picea spp.; Pinus spp.; Larix spp. Ips sexdentatus is a secondary pest that usually attacks trees that have been otherwise stressed or weakened. It also occasionally attacks freshly felled trees or windthrown trees. It rarely attacks healthy, vigorously growing trees. It can significantly affect the amount 2 Overview of forest pests - Mongolia of timber that is able to be recovered from fire damaged areas because of damage caused either by the larvae itself or the blue stain fungus associated with this beetle. http://www.eppo.org/QUARANTINE/insects/Ips_sexdentatus/IPSXSE_ds.pdf http://spfnic.fs.fed.us/exfor/data/pestreports.cfm?pestidval=79&langdisplay=english http://www.barkbeetles.org/exotic/ipsxdnts.html http://www.invasive.org/browse/subimages.cfm?sub=887 http://www.padil.gov.au/viewPestDiagnosticImages.aspx?id=162 Ips subelongatus (Motschulsky, 1860) Other scientific names: Ips fallax Eggers Coleoptera: Scolytidae Common names: larch bark beetle; larch engraver beetle; oblong bark beetle Host type: broadleaf and conifer Hosts: Larix spp.; Abies spp.; Picea spp.; Pinus spp. Ips subelongatus is typically a secondary pest of larch and other conifers, including Abies spp., Picea spp. and Pinus spp. However, it can attack both apparently healthy trees and stressed trees. Repeated attacks by this species can affect the growth and rate of timber production, occasionally leading to dieback or death of a tree. The feeding activities of adult females inoculate a blue-stain fungus into host trees; the larvae feed on the fungus. Trees attacked by this insect are usually killed either by the activity of the beetle feeding which at times girdles the trees or by the affect of the blue-stain fungus. It prefers to attack mature trees. Attacks frequently occur on trees that have been stressed by other factors such as those damaged by wildfire or defoliators. The larch bark beetle is often found in association with infestations of other bark beetles and woodborers. http://www.eppo.org/QUARANTINE/insects/Ips_cembrae/DSIPSXCE.pdf http://spfnic.fs.fed.us/exfor/data/pestreports.cfm?pestidval=132&langdisplay=english Leucoma salicis (Linneaus, 1758) Other scientific names: Bombyx salicis; Laelia salicis; Liparis salicis; Phalaena salicis; Stilpnotia salicis Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae Common names: satin moth; white satin moth; willow moth Host type: broadleaf Hosts: Salix spp.; Populus spp. The larvae of Leucoma salicis feed on Populus and Salix species. There is usually only one generation per year in cooler areas and two generations per year in warmer areas. They overwinter as mid-size larvae and pupate in the foliage of the host trees. The adult females rarely fly so dispersal occurs by the ballooning of young larvae and movement of infested plant material. The females have high fertility and there often repeated attacks on the same host tree over several generations. Repeated defoliation can significantly affect the growth rate of trees and eventually lead to the dieback or death of trees. However, tree death tends to be limited to relatively small areas with natural enemies apparently restricting the extent of outbreaks. 3 Overview of forest pests - Mongolia In 2004 it was reported tohave defoliated 45 500 ha of forests in Mongolia (Dorj, 2004). Natural enemies appear to limit the duration of population outbreaks. http://www.forestpests.org/subject.html?SUB=162 http://www.forestry.ubc.ca/fetch21/FRST308/lab5/leucoma_salicis/satin.html http://spfnic.fs.fed.us/exfor/data/pestreports.cfm?pestidval=112&langdisplay=english Lymantria dispar Linnaeus, 1758 Other scientific names: Bombyx dispar; Hypogymna dispar; Liparis dispar; Ocneria dispar; Phalaena dispar; Porthesia dispar; Porthetria dispar; Porthetria hadina Butler, 1881; Porthetria umbrosa Butler, 1881 Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae Common names: Asian gypsy moth; gypsy moth Host type: broadleaf and conifer Hosts: Betula spp.; Larix spp.; Pinus spp. Lymantria dispar caterpillars are at times a major defoliator in Mongolian forests where they are a major pest of Betula, Larix and Pinus forests. During 2003-2004, 369 300 ha of forests were defoliated by this insect. This species of moth occurs at low levels in forests for many years without causing significant damage. However, at times there are significant outbreaks that cause severe defoliation of trees, which can cause tree mortality. Frequently, outbreaks coincide with periods when the trees are under stress. Outbreaks typically last for about three years and collapse when host trees are weakened to the point that they produce little or no foliage the following spring for the next generation of larvae. High levels of parasitism can also cause outbreaks to collapse. Adults of Asian strains are capable of flight, hence dispersal over large areas is possible and the risk of introduction to new areas is increased. Females of European strains cannot fly. Young larvae can move some distance by ballooning from tops of trees. Human activities can also facilitate the movement of this pest. Some of the pathways include vehicles, camping equipment, nursery stock, ships, vehicles, and equipment that have been exposed for a period to the outdoors. http://www.padil.gov.au/viewPest.aspx?id=342 http://www.padil.gov.au/viewPestDiagnosticImages.aspx?id=342 http://www.forestpests.org/subject.html?SUB=165 http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=96&fr=1&sts=sss http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/sci/surv/data/lymdise.shtml http://www.forestry.ubc.ca/fetch21/FRST308/lab5/lymantria_dispar/gypsy.html Melanophila cyanea (Fabricius, 1775) Other scientific names: Phaenops cyanea Coleoptera: Buprestidae Common names: steelblue jewel beetle; blue pine wood borer Host type: conifer Hosts: Pinus spp.; Larix spp.; Abies spp. Melanophila cyanea attacks trees stressed by abiotic factors or other pests. It has a preference for trees in high light areas such as forest margins. Infested trees usually die. It 4 Overview of forest pests - Mongolia attacks various genera of conifers, in particular Pinus sylvestris. There is usually one generation per year however at times it can take up to two years for one generation. Adults feed in the crown of trees for maturation and the larvae feed in the bark. The sap flow of healthy trees is known to kill young larvae. They overwinter as mature larvae with the adults emerging in spring and summer. http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/subimages.cfm?SUB=4107 http://www.forestpests.org/poland/phaenopscya.html http://www.user.gwdg.de/~uffz/forsch/pracht/pracht_e.html Orgyia antiqua (Linneaus, 1758) Other scientific names: Phalaena antiqua Linnaeus, 1758; Phalaena paradoxa Retzius, 1783; Orgyia gonostigma (Scopoli, 1763); Orgyia recens Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae Common names: rusty tussock moth; tussock moth; vapourer moth; antique tussock moth Host type: broadleaf and conifer Hosts: Larix spp.; Pinus spp.; Populus spp.; Tsuga spp.; Picea spp. Rusty tussock moth is a defoliator that has damaged 2 950 ha of broadleaf trees in Mongolia. The eggs of this species are usually laid in late summer and it overwinters as eggs. The larvae emerge in late spring and tend to feed from the top of trees down to lower areas hence causing defoliation and die back in the crown of the trees first. They pupate on the tree, in the foliage or on the trunk of the tree. This species is a generalist feeder; it attacks numerous coniferous and broadleaf speciesincluding pines, larches, hemlock, poplars and spruces. http://www.forestpests.org/subject.html?SUB=196 http://www.pfc.forestry.ca/entomology/defoliators/tussock_moths/rusty_tussock_e.html Orthotomicus suturalis (Gyllenhal, 1827) Other scientific names: Orthotomicus nigritus Gyllenhal, 1827 Coleoptera: Scolytidae Common names: Host type: conifer Hosts: Picea spp.; Pinus spp. Orthotomicus suturalis infests the inner bark and outer sapwood of branches of standing trees, trees damaged by fire, and dying and dead trees particularly on sides exposed to sunlight. It also attacks stored timber with thin bark. It occurs in more mature trees, that is those older than 10 years. There are one to two generations per year. http://www.forestryimages.org/browse/subimages.cfm?SUB=10286 http://www.forestpests.org/poland/orthotomicus.html Scolytus morawitzi (Semenow) Other scientific names: Eccoptogaster morawitzi Semenow Coleoptera: Scolytidae Common names: Morawitz’s bark beetle; larch sapwood beetle Host type: conifer 5 Overview of forest pests - Mongolia Hosts: Larix spp. Scolytus morawitzi only attacks species of larch (Larix). In some areas it is considered the major pest of larches. It usually only attacks stressed or dying trees, but at high population levels it will also attack healthy trees. Repeated attacks on the same tree over several generations may lead to the death of the host tree. There is one generation per year. This beetle tends to attack trees in more open forests where there are high light levels. http://www.spfnic.fs.fed.us/exfor/data/pestreports.cfm?pestidval=133&langdisplay=engli sh http://www.eppo.org/QUARANTINE/insects/Scolytus_morawitzi/DSSCOLMO.pdf Tetropium gracilicorne Reitter, 1889 Other scientific names: Coleoptera: Cerambycidae Common names: thin-antenna spruce borer; larch borer Host type: conifer Hosts: Abies spp., Abies nephrolepis; Larix spp.; Larix gmelinii; Larix sibirica; Picea spp.; Picea ajanensis; Pinus spp.; Pinus sibirica; Pinus koraiensis; Pinus sylvestris Tetropium gracilicorne feeds on several genera of conifers including larches and pines. It attacks all parts of the trunk of trees from roots through to the crown. This beetle attacks both apparently healthy as well as stressed trees causing damage that includes loss of vigour and health of trees, lower productivity or death of trees as well as significant damage to the timber produced because of the bore holes. The loss of vigour makes the host trees more susceptible to other invasive species. Infestation of a particular tree can continue over several generations, hence significant tunneling (damage) occurs. The adults and larvae of this species are readily dispersed by movement of cut timber as the feeding is cryptic and difficult to detect, particularly in early stages of infestation. Dispersal can also occur by long distant flights of the adults. Adults fly enmass at the beginning of summer and are capable of flying several kilometers. http://www.eppo.org/QUARANTINE/insects/Tetropium_gracilicorne/DSTETOGR.pdf http://www.spfnic.fs.fed.us/exfor/data/pestreports.cfm?pestidval=138&langdisplay=engli sh Tomicus minor (Hartig, 1834) Other scientific names: Blastophagus minor; Myelophilus minor corsicus Eggers; Myelophilus minor Coleoptera: Scolytidae Common names: lesser pine shoot beetle Host type: conifer Hosts: Pinus pinaster; Picea abies Tomicus minor attacks stressed trees, mainly the upper part with thin bark and branches however it is also capable of attacking apparently healthy trees. These beetles feed towards the top of trees. The adult feeding during the reproduction phase causes significant damage to the trees because the egg galleries go across the fibers deeply in the 6