Friday, May 19, 2017

Important Information On Forest Health And Entomologic Threats

By Daniel Moore


Generally, forests are considered to be essential to animals other than their commonly known benefits to the humans. Usually, they stabilize and support the ecosystems, they are an important part in carbon cycle, and also support the livelihoods among many other benefits. Due to their important roles to the ecosystems, it become essential for forest health and entomologic threats to be monitored and dealt with, so as to protect the ecosystems.

Currently, most forestlands are still under pressure due to pollution, expansion in agricultural practice, overexploitation, intensification, and population pressure. When this factors are combined with effects of climatic change, these forestlands are further threatened with threats from insects. All these factors affect the health of these forests thereby impairing the ability of forests to maintain ecosystems.

Among the various natural and non-natural pressures that forests faces is entomologic threats. Insects are both beneficial and equally destructive to forests. Their impact culminates into either a healthy or a dwindled and unhealthy forest. To begin with, insects present a number of benefits to forests and in keeping them healthy.

To begin with, native insects usually maintain and reduce the likely aging of trees. This essentially aids in making forests more productive apart from being agile to support healthy ecosystems. In addition, wide scale insect infestations that regularly occur will lead to the renewal of forests. Old trees are usually destroyed leaving behind fresh ones to develop even as the nutrients stored in them are released to the environment for supporting the residual trees to have healthy growth.

Large native insect infestations also support the health of forests by effectively eliminating the sick and unhealthy trees. The elimination of the sick, as well as unhealthy trees means that only the trees that are genetically superior and free of any diseases will reproduce to form the new forestlands. This leads to the development of healthy trees translating to healthy forests.

At the same time, insects also help in eliminating competition among trees, thereby making the ecosystems more productive. By eliminating or destroying aged, sick, and unhealthy trees, insects helps to reduce the unnecessary competition for the nutrients, while increasing nutrient supply to the remaining trees. Insects, more so the native ones usually help in pollinating trees. Usually, cross-pollination especially when assisted by the insects ensures that only the genetically superior trees can thrive.

Nevertheless, insects also result in other entomologic dangers to the existence and life of forests. First, insect invasions often reduce forest area by attacking the unhealthy and healthy trees. However, this can be seen as temporary since trees always regrow. The alien insects and disease pests are also threats to forests because they destroy trees, which result in challenges controlling the population. Again, the alien insects are also difficult to predict their trend.

Also, the alien insects spread rapidly which result in extensive destruction of trees. Usually, this is a challenge in those areas where the insects invading the forestlands and causing diseases do not have existing natural enemies to help keep their population in check. In other cases, some organisms and trees do not have natural ways to resist invading insects.




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