This year Belarus has been hit by a bark beetle epidemic, with nearly 12,000 hectares of forests in Brest Oblast, Gomel Oblast, and a part of Minsk Oblast and Mogilev Oblast infested. One of the reasons behind it is extreme weather conditions. Heat waves, droughts and storms stress trees and weaken their ability to resist the naturally occurring beetles. Only timely felling can help deal with the problem.
Pictured is head of the forest protection and wood science department at the Belarusian State Technological University Vyacheslav Zvyagintsev demonstrating a bark beetle.
Photo by Gennady Zhinkov, BelTA
