Host and site factors affecting tree mortality caused by the spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) in mountainous conditions

To better understand the initiation and severity of tree mortality caused by the spruce bark beetle Ups typographus (L.)) during an outbreak, we analysed the entire course of an outbreak from 1990 to 2000 in the Tatra Mountains (Western Carpathians, Central Europe). This time period represents the last complete bark beetle gradation in this area. We distinguished three outbreak phases: the incipient epidemic, epidemic and post-epidemic stages. The sampling unit was the forest subcompartment We analysed a total of 315 forest subcompartments over more than 2000 ha. We investigated the influence of 11 environmental and stand variables on two processes in different phases of the outbreak: the initiation and the severity of spruce mortality. We used factor analysis, discriminant analysis, multiple linear regressions and boosted regression trees for the statistical analyses. The results showed that the roles of host and site factors in the initiation and severity of spruce mortality caused by the spruce bark beetle differed during the outbreak according to the exploitation of available host resources. The initiation of tree mortality was primarily related to host factors, and the severity of mortality was dependent on host size and insolation. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.