The Žaliosios forest in the Panevėžys district can be saved by sanitary logging

In the disseminated information, it is reminded that the State Botanical-Zoological Reserve of Žaliosios girias was established in order to preserve the typical forest plant communities and fauna of the Central Lithuanian plains.

This reserve is characterized by pine forests, birches, spruces, and large areas are occupied by swamps. Hares, roe deer, wild boars, lynxes live there, and the spotted horsetail, which is included in the Red Book, the virgin bell, and the rare-flowered mistletoe grow.

The permit is issued after assessing the situation

Marius Ivanauskas, head of the Forest Protection Department of VMU, explained that no separate statistics are kept on the damaged areas within the boundaries of Žaliosii giria.

“However, in the forests under the supervision of the Joniškis and Panevėžys regional units, the focus of the bark beetle is currently recorded on an area of ​​224 ha. Sanitary logging is carried out in these areas, and permits are issued by the State Forestry Service (VMT). In order to obtain permission to cut a forest, it is necessary to submit the stock felling documents, which are prepared based on the measurements taken in the forest. Therefore, it is impossible to get permission to cut down the forest with sanitary cutting without assessing the situation in the forest. In order to eliminate the focus of pests, it is necessary to carry out clear sanitary felling of the forest, the area of ​​which is more than 1 ha. Before issuing a permit to cut down the forest, the state of the stand must also be assessed by a specialist from the Sanitary Forest Protection Department of VMT”, said M. Ivanauskas.

The consequences of a natural disaster are eliminated

When asked about the information that began to spread on the Internet, that VMU intends to destroy the Green Forest under the guise of clear sanitary felling, the head of the Forest Protection Department denied such news.

“Not really. A natural disaster has been declared in the districts of Joniškis and Panevėžys due to the mass spread of the bark beetle, and mandatory measures to eliminate the consequences of natural disasters are currently being implemented. It is safe to say that if these measures were not applied, the security of the Green Forest would be significantly more threatened,” said M. Ivanauskas.

This pest damaged 4-5 times more fir trees this year than in previous years. There are no predictions for next year either.

“Sanitary logging in spruce trees attacked by the bark beetle is a necessary and mandatory forest protection measure. During the year 2023, in the state forests of the country, the foci of the bark beetle typographer were recorded in an area of ​​3760 ha. All these foci must be liquidated – by October, 3230 ha of foci of this pest were liquidated”, said the VMU specialist and explained that clear sanitary felling is not applied in all cases.

There are no forecasts for next year

“Timely selective sanitary cuttings are often enough, but the situation is really very tense this year, almost 4 times more intensive flying of the bark beetle than usual is recorded.

This pest damaged 4-5 times more fir trees this year than in previous years. There are no predictions for next year either – if the winter is favorable for the pest to overwinter, it is likely that we will have an even bigger invasion of this pest than this year. If we do not implement any sanitary protection measures, our spruce trees would be in serious danger,” said M. Ivanauskas and said that spruce trees have been dying en masse for several years in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, and Poland, and foresters are unable to save them.

The spread of the bark beetle in state forests managed by VMU trust