
A gallery made by beetles is seen in this photo released on Nov. 11.
13:01 JST, December 21, 2022
HELSINKI (AFP-Jiji) — Deep in the Finnish woods, the moss and blueberry shrubs hide a deadly threat to the boreal forests that are as important to the planet as the Amazon rainforest.
With chunks of their bark peeling off and needles falling from dying branches, more and more trees are being killed by the spruce bark beetle, which is venturing further and further north with climate change.
The tiny brown insects attack the Picea abies, one of Finland’s most common tree species, and can cause massive damage to forests.
Burrowing through the bark to lay their eggs, the beetles eat their way around the spruce and kill it by stopping water and nutrients reaching the higher branches.
“The species has caused huge damage across Central and Eastern Europe, especially since 2018,” Markus Melin, a scientist at the Natural Resources Institute Finland, told AFP.
With climate change, the risk of the beetle spreading is a “lot higher now,” Melin added.
“We have to accept it and adapt to it. Things are changing fast up here.”
While the threat is greatest in southern Finland, the sweltering summer of 2021 saw bark beetle damage “unusually high up north” in the Kainuu region of northern Finland.
“It is well known that the spruce bark beetle is one of the species that benefit most from global warming,” Melin said.
The beetles thrive on weakened trees. Hot summers mean there are more water-starved spruce, while warm winters mean there is no frozen ground to brace the trees against storms.
Warm weather also speeds up the life cycle of the beetles, meaning they can reproduce faster.
“Extreme warm summers benefit the bark beetle directly. They have less mortality, reproduction is faster,” Melin said.
"Science & Nature" POPULAR ARTICLE
-
Japan to Lead Charge on International Rules for Space Debris Removal; U.K., N.Z., Developing Countries Eyed as Partners
-
More Commercial Launches a Must for H2a Rocket’s Successor; Mitsubishi Heavy, JAXA Aim to Halve Launch Cost with H3
-
Govt Panel Warns of Major Sea of Japan Quake;Probability Seen as 18% in Next 30 Years
-
Firms Eye Recycling Glass from Solar Panels in Fukushima Pref.; Profitability Seen as Main Hurdle
-
Undersea Magma, Water May Be Inducing Quakes Around Tokara Islands; Lack of Instruments Nearby Limits Data
JN ACCESS RANKING
-
Japan’s Agriculture Ministry Starts Survey of Rice Farmers Across Japan on Production Outlook
-
Japan Eyes Hosting Major International Standards Conference in 2029; Govt Making Plans to Host IEC Event in Yokohama
-
Agriculture Minister Considers Review of Japan’s Rice Harvest Statistics (UPDATE 1)
-
Japan’s Core Inflation Hits 2-year High, Keeps Rate-Hike Bets Alive
-
Carmakers’ Anxiety Grows as U.S. Tariff Talks Stall;Japan Exporters May Have No Choice But to Raise Prices