DYNAMICS OF CHANGES IN THE PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF SIBERIAN FIR (ABIES SIBIRICA LEDEB.) WOOD IN DEAD STANDS DAMAGED BY THE FOUR-EYED FIR BARK BEETLE (POLYGRAPHUS PROXIMUS BLANDF.)
Keywords:
Siberian fir (Abies sibirica); four-eyed fir bark beetle (Polygraphus proximus); wood; physical and mechanical properties of the Abies sibirica wood; dead standing tree; deadwood; use of deadwood.Abstract
Under changing climate conditions in the Russian Federation, the four-eyed fir bark beetle (Polygraphus proximus Blandf.) is causing widespread mortality of Siberian fir (Abies sibirica Ledeb.) stands. Due to the scale of mortality and the patchy nature of damage to the stands, dead stands remain in a stable state for extended periods. This raises the question of the feasibility of industrial use of deadwood, given the time since stand death. This study examined changes in the physical and mechanical properties of A. sibirica wood across different periods after tree death. The study revealed that in the first 3-5 years after their death, dead trees experience a sharp decrease in the impact strength of wood, while most of the physical and mechanical properties of stem wood remain at levels similar to those of standing trees for decades. It is caused by the reduced moisture content of deadwood, which falls below 20%, making it unsuitable for the development of wood-destroying fungi. Intensive wood decay is observed only at the base of the stem. Also, as the time since death increases, dead trees are selected based on their physical and mechanical properties. By 20 years of death, remaining trees in the stand have wood density and strength values above the average for A. sibirica. Based on the data obtained, stem wood from dead trees could be a valuable raw material for a wide range of wood processing industries.
References
Aber, J., Neilson, R.P., McNulty, S., Lenihan, J.M., Bachelet, D., Drapek, R.J., 2001. Forest processes and global environmental change: The effects of individual and multiple stressors on forests. Bioscience Journal 51, 735–751. https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0735:fpagec]2.0.co;2
Alexeyev, V.A., Svyazeva, O.A., 2009. Woody Plants of Russian Forests. A List of Species and the State Account of Biodiversity of Forest Resources; SB RAS, Sukachev Institute of Forest: Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
Allen, C.D., Macalady, A.K., Chenchouni, H., Bachelet, D., McDowell, N.,Vennetier, M, Kitzberger, T, Rigling, A, Breshears, D.D., Hogg, E.H., Gonzalez, P., Fensham, R., Zhang, Z., Castro, J., Demidova, N., Lim, J.H., Allard, G., Running, S.W., Semerci, A., Cobb, N., 2010. A global overview of drought and heat-induced tree mortality reveals emerging climate change risks for forests. Forest Ecology and Management 259, 660–684. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2009.09.001
Baranchikov, Y.N., Petko, V.M., Astapenko, S.A., Akulov, E.N., Krivets, S.A., 2011. Polygraphus proximus - a new aggressive invasive pest of firs in Siberia. Forestry bulletin 4, 78–81.
Baranchikov, Yu.N., Demidko, D.A., Laptev, A.V., Petko, V.M., 2014. Dynamics of Siberian fir tree mortality in the Ussuri polygraph centre. Forestry bulletin 18, 132–138.
Baranchikov, Yu.N., 2021. Interaction of science and practice in the protection of taiga forests of Krasnoyarsk Krai: the outbreak of the Siberian moth in the late 1960s. Siberian Journal of Forest Science 5, 92–100. https://doi.org/10.15372/sjfs20210510
Barrette, J., Thiffault, E., Saint-Pierre, F., Wetzel, S., Duchesne, I., Krigstin, S., 2015 Dynamics of dead tree degradation and shelf-life following natural disturbances: can salvaged trees from boreal forests ‘fuel’ the forestry and bioenergy sectors? Forestry 88, 275–290. https://doi.org/10.1093/forestry/cpv007
Belyea, R.M., 1952. Death and deterioration of Balsam Fir weakened by Spruce budworm defoliation in Ontario. Journal of Forestry 1, 729–738.
Basham, J.T., 1984. Degradation and loss of wood fibre in spruce budworm-killed timber, and effects on utilization. Forestry Chronicle 60, 10–14.
Basham, J.T., 1986. Biological factors influencing stem deterioration rates and salvage planning in balsam fir killed after defoliation by spruce budworm. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 16(6), 1217–1229. https://doi.org/10.1139/x86-217
Branch of the Federal Budgetary Institution "Russian Forest Protection Centre" "Krasnoyarsk Region Forest Protection Centre", 2022. The Ussuri polygraph continues to spread in the Krasnoyarsk Region [WWW Document]. URL https://krasnoyarsk.rcfh.ru/presscenter/novosti/poligraf-ussuriyskiy-prodolzhaet-rasprostranenie-v-krasnoyarskom-krae/
Broda, M., 2020. Natural Compounds for Wood Protection against Fungi - A Review. Molecules 25, 3538. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25153538
Bunn, A.A., 2008. Dendrochronology program library in R (dplR). Dendrochronologia 26, 115–124. https://doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.dendro.2008.01.002
Сhetverikov, S.S., 1903. Dendrolimus laricis Tschtv, sp. n., ein neuer schadlicher Spinner Ruslands. International Journal in Entomology 23, 89–90.
Cybis Elektronik & Data AB., 2025. Technical writing, software development, photography and dendrochronology software [WWW Document]. URL https://www.cybis.se/
Dale, V.H., Linda, A.J., McNulty, S., Neilson, R.P., Ayres, M.P., Flannigan, M.D., Hanson, P.J., Irland, L.C., Lugo, A.E., Peterson, C.J., Simberloff, D., Swanson, F.J., Stocks, B.J., Wotton, B.M., 2001. Climate Change and Forest Disturbances. Bioscience Journal 51, 723–734. https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0723:ccafd]2.0.co;2
Demidko, D.A., Goroshko, A.A., Slinkina, O.A., Mikhaylov, P.V., Sultson, S.M., 2023. The Role of Forest Stands Characteristics on Formation of Exterior Migratory Outbreak Spots by the Siberian Silk Moth Dendrolimus sibiricus (Tschetv.) during Population Collapse. Forests 14, 1078. https://doi.org/10.3390/f14061078
Federal Forestry Agency, 2025. State Forest Register [WWW Document]. URL https://rosleshoz.gov.ru/activity/forest-register/
Gauthier, S., Bernier, P., Kuuluvainen, T., Shvidenko, A., Schepaschenko, D., 2015. Boreal forest health and global change. Science 349, 819–822. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaa9092
Gavrilov, T.A., Stankevich, T.B., 2022. The influence of natural and climatic factors on the wood biodestruction process. Journal of Agriculture and Environment 5, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.23649/jae.2022.5.25.01
Gonzalez, J.S., 1990. Wood Density of Canadian Tree Species, in Information Report NOR-X-315, Edmonton, Alberta: Forestry Canada, Northwest Region, Northern Forestry Centre.
Groisman, P., Bulygina, O., Henebry, G., Speranskaya, N., Shiklomanov, A., Chen, Y., Tchebakova, N., Parfenova, E., Tilinina, N., Zolina, O., 2018. Dryland belt of Northern Eurasia: Contemporary environmental changes and their consequences. Environmental Research Letters 13, 115008. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aae43c
Hansen, A.J., Neilson, R.P., Dale, V.H., Flather, C.H., Iverson, L.R., Currie, D.J., Shafer, S., Cook, R., Bartlein, P.J., 2001. Global change in forests: Responses of species, communities, and biomes. Bioscience Journal 51, 765–779. https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0765:GCIFRO]2.0.CO;2
ISO 13061-1:2014 - Physical and mechanical properties of wood - Test methods for small clear wood specimens - Part 1: Determination of moisture content for physical and mechanical tests.
ISO 13061-2:2014 - Physical and mechanical properties of wood - Test methods for small clear wood specimens -Part 2: Determination of density for physical and mechanical tests.
ISO 13061-3:2014 - Physical and mechanical properties of wood - Test methods for small clear wood specimens - Part 3: Determination of ultimate strength in static bending.
ISO 13061-10:2017 - Physical and mechanical properties of wood - Test methods for small clear wood specimens - Part 10: Determination of impact bending strength.
ISO 13061-17:2017 - Physical and mechanical properties of wood - Test methods for small clear wood specimens - Part 17: Determination of ultimate stress in compression parallel to grain.
Jelonek, T., Klimek, K., Kopaczyk, J., Wieruszewski, M., Arasimowicz-Jelonek, M., Tomczak, A., Grzywiński, W., 2020. Influence of the Tree Decay Duration on Mechanical Stability of Norway Spruce Wood (Picea abies (L.) Karst.). Forests 11, 980. https://doi.org/10.3390/f11090980
Johnstone, J.F., 2006. Chapin F.S. Fire Interval Effects on Successional Trajectory in Boreal Forests of Northwest Canada. Ecosystems 9, 268–277. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-005-0061-2
Kharuk, V.I., Im, S.T., Ranson, K.J., Yagunov, M.N., 2017. Climate-Induced Northerly Expansion of Siberian Silkmoth Range. Forests 8, 301. https://doi.org/10.3390/f8080301
Kharuk, V.I., Im, S.T., Petrov, I.A., Dvinskaya, M.L., Shushpanov A.S., Golyukov A.S., 2020. Climate-driven conifer mortality in Siberia. Global Ecology and Biogeography 30, 543–556. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13243
Kondakov, Yu. P., 1963. Protection of Forest Plantations from Pests and Diseases. Moscow, pp. 81–84.
Kondakov, Yu. P., 1974. Ecology of populations of forest animals in Siberia. Novosibirsk: Nauka, pp. 206–265.
Kozlov, N.V., Vais, A.A., Varaksin, G.S., Anuev, Y.A., Kalachev, V.A., 2023. An evaluation of dry wood in pine stands in the taiga and forest-steppe region of central Siberia. International Research Journal 5, 1–8. https://doi.org/10.23670/IRJ.2023.131.66
Krivets, S.A., Kerchev, I.A., Bisirova, E.M., Volkova, E.S., Astapenko, S.A., Efremenko, A.A., Kosilov, A.Yu., Kudryavtsev, P.P., Kuznetsova, Y.P., Ponomarev, V.I., Potapkin, A.B., Taraskin, E.G., Titova, V.V., Shilonosov, A.O., Baranchikov, Yu.N., 2024. Overeview of the current secondary range of the four-eyed fir bark beetle (Polygraphus proximus Blandford) in the Russian Federation. Russian Journal of Biological Invasions 15, 180–197. https://doi.org/10.1134/s2075111724700061
Larinina, Y.A, Blintsov, A.I., Khvasko A.V., Yermokhin M.V., 2014. Changes in mechanical properties of wood of dying and dead trees of Norway spruce. Proceedings of BSTU, Forestry 1, 221–224.
Lighthill, J., Holland, G., Gray, W., Landsea, C., Craig, G., Evans, J., Kurihara, Y., Guard, C., 1994. Global climate change and tropical cyclones. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society 75, 2147–2157.
Löwe, R., Sedlecky, M., Sikora, A., Prokupkova, A., Modlinger, R., Novotny, K., Turcani, M., 2022. How Bark Beetle Attack Changes the Tensile and Compressive Strength of Spruce Wood (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.). Forests 13, 87. https://doi.org/10.3390/f13010087
Mukhortova, L.V., Kirdyanov, A.V., Myglan, V.S., Guggenberger, G., 2009. Wood transformation in dead-standing trees in the forest-tundra of Central Siberia. Biology bulletin 36, 58–65. https://doi.org/10.1134/S1062359009010099
Natural Resources of the Krasnoyarsk Region, 2025. Forests and Forestry [WWW Document]. URL http://nature.krasn.ru/node/3
Overview of the sanitary and forest pathology conditions in the forests of the Russian Federation in 2016 and forecast of the forest pathology situation for 2017., 2016. Russian Forest Protection Centre. Branch of Roslesozashchita, Moscow.
Pashenova, N.V., Pet'ko, V.M., Kerchev, I.A., Babichev, N.S., 2012. Transfer of ophiostomoid fungi by Polygraphus proximus blandf. (Coleoptera, Scolytidae) in Siberia. Bulletin of the Saint Petersburg Forest Engineering Academy 200, 114–120.
Pashenova, N.V., Kononov, A.V., Ustyantsev, K.V., Blinov, A.G., Pertsovaya, A.A., Baranchikov, Yu.N., 2018. Ophiostomatoid Fungi Associated with the Four-Eyed Fir Bark Beetle on the Territory of Russia. Russian Journal of Biological Invasions 9, 63–74. https://doi.org/10.1134/s2075111718010137
Pavlov, I., Litovka Y., Golubev, D., Astapenko, S., Chromogin, P., Usoltseva, Y., Makolova, P., Petrenko, S., 2020. Mass reproduction of Polygraphus proximus Blandford in fir forests of Siberia infected with root and stem pathogens: monitoring, patterns, biological control. Contemporary Problems of Ecology 13, 71–84. https://doi.org/10.1134/s1995425520010060
Roberts, M., Gilligan, C.A., Kleczkowski, A., Hanley, N., Whalley, A.E., Healey, J.R., 2020. The effect of forest management options on forest resilience to pathogens. Frontiers in Forests and Global Change 3, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2020.00007
Rotbarth, R., Van Nes, E.H., Scheffer, M., 2023. Northern expansion is not compensating for southern declines in North American boreal forests. Nature Communications 14, 3373. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39092-2
Rozhkov, A.S., 1963. Siberian silkworm. Moscow: Publishing house of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR.
Schwarze, F.W.M.R., Engels, J., Mattheck, C., 2002. Fungal strategies of wood decay in trees. Mycopathologia 154, 155–156. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016087425684
Sergienko, V.G., Ivanov, A.M., Vlasov, R.V., Antonov, O.I., 2015. Dead wood and biodiversity in plots of selective cuttings in Leningrad region. Proceedings of the St. Petersburg Research Institute of Forestry 3, 1–19.
Shchurov V.I., 2017. Overview of the sanitary and forest pathology conditions in the forests of the Russian Federation in 2016 and forecast of the forest pathology situation for 2017. Russian Forest Protection Centre. Branch of Roslesozashchita, Moscow.
Shvidenko, A.Z., Schepaschenko D.G., 2014. Carbon budget of Russian forests. Siberian Journal of Forest Science 1, 69–92.
Sinclair, S.A., McLain, T.A., Ifju, G., 1979. Strength loss in small clear specimens of beetle-killed southern pine. Forest Products Journal 29, 35–39.
Soldatov, V.V., Golubev, D.V., Ostroshinskaya, E.M., Gninenko, Y.I., 2019. Polygraphus proximus in the Krasnoyarsk territory. Invasive dendrophilous organisms: challenges and protection operations. Pushkino: VNIILM, pp. 104–109.
Stocks, B.J., 1998. Climate change and forest fire potential in Russian and Canadian boreal forests. Climatic Change 38, 1–13.
Storozhenko, V.G., 2010. Wood decay in the structures of a forest biogeocenosis. Conifers of the boreal area 27, 279–283.
Troxell, H.E., Tang, J.L., Sampson, G.R., Worth, H.E., 1980. Suitability of beetle-killed pine in Colorado’s front range for wood and fiber products. Rocky Mountain Forest and Range Experiment Station. USDA Forest Service. Fort Collins, CO. Resource Bulletin RM-2.
Voronin, V.I., Sofronov, A.P., Morozova, T.I., Oskolkov, V.A., Sukhovol’skii, V.G., Kovalev, A.V., 2020. Natural risks of vulnerability of dark coniferous taiga of the Southern Baikal region (Khamar-Daban ridge). Modern problems of forest protection and ways of their solution: Proc. of the II Int. scientific and practical. conf, Minsk: BSTU, pp. 73–77.
Zagreev, V.V., Sukhikh, V.I., Shvidenko, A.Z., Gusev, N.N., Moshkalev, A.G., 1992. All-Union standards for forest taxation. Kolos Publishing House, Moscow.
Zalomodchikov, D.G., 2009. Assessment of the carbon pool of large wood residues in Russian forests, taking into account the influence of fires and logging. Russian Journal of Forest Science 4, 3–15.
Zhuravlev, G.P., 1960. Recommendations for monitoring the Siberian silkworm in the forests of the Far East, Khabarovsk: Far Eastern Scientific Research Institute of Forestry.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Sergey Eliseev, Sergey Zhila, Sergei Kazitsin, Vladimir Ermolin, Mikhail Bayandin, Evgeniya Akinina; Tatyana Strekaleva
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The Journal publishes in an open access model. It provides immediate open access to its content under the Creative Commons BY 4.0 license.
