Spruce beetles as ecosystem engineers: Effects of spruce mortality on insect communities and fire behavior in Denali National Park and Preserve
Spruce beetles (Dendroctonus rufipennis) are ecosystem engineers that can have substantial effects on forest structure. In 2015, a spruce beetle outbreak began in southcentral Alaska and as of 2021 has impacted 1.6 million acres of land (USFS 2021). This outbreak has expanded quickly and has crossed over the boundary of Denali National Park. Spruce beetles can alter the ecosystem by rapidly killing large numbers of mature spruce trees, which influences local fire regimes as well as plant and animal communities.
This study aims to quantify how spruce-beetle-induced tree mortality is impacting pollinator and beetle communities and wildfire behavior in the Denali National Park boreal forest ecosystem.
Although spruce beetles are native species that are a natural part of the forest ecosystem in Alaska, outbreaks of the current scale are infrequent. To better understand how such outbreaks influence boreal forest communities, researchers will compare native pollinator (i.e., bee) and beetle communities and abundance in impacted areas (high spruce mortality) and unimpacted (no spruce mortality) areas. Additionally, to model changes in fire behavior, researchers will collect ground-based LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging Technology) scans and fire fuel data (fuel type, amount, and position) from sites across the region. After data collection, researchers will use multi-species and fire behavior models to quantify potential changes to insect communities and fire behavior.
Results from this study could help researchers and managers better anticipate changes to the Denali National Park boreal forest ecosystem, educate visitors about these effects, and mitigate fire risk to Park infrastructure.
This project is ongoing and collaborates with the USGS Alaska Science Center, U.S. National Park Service (NPS), University of Alaska Museum (UAM), University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Alaska Division of Forestry, and the New Mexico Consortium. It is funded in part by the USGS National Resource Preservation Program (NRPP).
References:
USFS. 2021. Forest Health Conditions in Alaska 2022. Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Alaska Region. Publication R10-PR-47. 67 pages
Spruce beetles (Dendroctonus rufipennis) are ecosystem engineers that can have substantial effects on forest structure. In 2015, a spruce beetle outbreak began in southcentral Alaska and as of 2021 has impacted 1.6 million acres of land (USFS 2021). This outbreak has expanded quickly and has crossed over the boundary of Denali National Park. Spruce beetles can alter the ecosystem by rapidly killing large numbers of mature spruce trees, which influences local fire regimes as well as plant and animal communities.
This study aims to quantify how spruce-beetle-induced tree mortality is impacting pollinator and beetle communities and wildfire behavior in the Denali National Park boreal forest ecosystem.
Although spruce beetles are native species that are a natural part of the forest ecosystem in Alaska, outbreaks of the current scale are infrequent. To better understand how such outbreaks influence boreal forest communities, researchers will compare native pollinator (i.e., bee) and beetle communities and abundance in impacted areas (high spruce mortality) and unimpacted (no spruce mortality) areas. Additionally, to model changes in fire behavior, researchers will collect ground-based LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging Technology) scans and fire fuel data (fuel type, amount, and position) from sites across the region. After data collection, researchers will use multi-species and fire behavior models to quantify potential changes to insect communities and fire behavior.
Results from this study could help researchers and managers better anticipate changes to the Denali National Park boreal forest ecosystem, educate visitors about these effects, and mitigate fire risk to Park infrastructure.
This project is ongoing and collaborates with the USGS Alaska Science Center, U.S. National Park Service (NPS), University of Alaska Museum (UAM), University of Alaska-Fairbanks, Alaska Division of Forestry, and the New Mexico Consortium. It is funded in part by the USGS National Resource Preservation Program (NRPP).
References:
USFS. 2021. Forest Health Conditions in Alaska 2022. Anchorage, Alaska, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Alaska Region. Publication R10-PR-47. 67 pages