Impact des coupes partielles sur l’activité de coléoptères phloeophages et xylophages en forêt boréale
To evaluate the viability of partial cuts, short-term responses of phloeophagous and xylophagous beetles (Cerambycidae and Scolytinae) following different partial cut treatments (0, 25 and 40% of basal area cut) were determined in a balsam fir–white birch boreal forest in Quebec, Canada. Each treatment was replicated 4 times totaling 12 experimental stands. The summer following treatments, abundance and diversity of targeted beetle groups along with their establishment (attack rates) in partially cut stands were assessed with passive flight- interception traps and bark dissection of exposed, freshly cut boles from three tree species. Greater activity/abundance from both taxa were detected (abundance 5 to 6 times larger) along with a different and more diversified species composition in partially cut stands (25 and 40%). The presence and distribution of species that usually colonize weakened host trees (e.g., Trypodendron lineatum, Rhagium inquisitor) – and can thus reduce stands economic value for future harvest operations – were influenced by canopy openness and injuries on residual trees made during silvicultural operations. Furthermore, combining diverse sampling techniques allowed us to observe different host-selection patterns (random landing vs. primary attraction) given our multi-scale experimental approach, which we found to vary between insect species. Understanding these mechanisms for such beetle groups are important to evaluate stand vulnerability following partial cuts and predict impacts and risks in a given environment. While the 40% partial cuts remove additional wood volume, we found no significant increase in beetle activity between the 25 and 40% treatment. Though partial cuts render treated stands more vulnerable to greater Cerambycidae and Scolytinae attacks, further studies must be done to confirm this trend in longer term if proper boreal forest management plans are to be drawn.
Scolytinae Cerambycidae Boreal forest Balsam fir–white birch forest Partial cuts Alternative forestry Phloeophagous Xylophagous Scolytinae Cerambycidae Host-selection