Best Practice Knowledge Base
7.1 Sanitation harvesting
Spruce bark beetle disturbance. Schwarzwald, Germany © Hernán Serrano-León
Sanitation harvesting, the removal of trees infested by bark beetles, helps limit the spread of pests and supports forest health by reducing beetle populations. Its success depends on timely removal before beetles mature, accurate identification to avoid unnecessary cutting, and proper disposal of infested material through methods like debarking, chipping, or burning to prevent further spread. Although effective, it may temporarily disrupt wildlife habitats and should be part of a broader forest management strategy.
I. Guidelines
| Nº | Title | Author | Year | Focus Region | Language | Summary | Link |
| 1 | Living with bark beetles: impacts, outlook and management options | Hlásny et al. - European Forest Institute | 2019 | Europe | English | Impacts of the intensifying bark beetle outbreaks in Europe and management options. | https://doi.org/10.36333/fs08 |
| 2 | Managing bark beetle outbreaks in the 21st century | Hlásny & Haas | 2023 | Europe | English | Management and policy principles for the managing of intensified bark beetle outbreaks. | https://foresteurope.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Policy-brief-Managing-bark-beetle-outbreaks-in-the-21st-century.pdf |
| 3 | Vorbeugung und Bekämpfung von Rindenbrütern (Prevention and Control of Bark Boring Insects) | FVA Baden-Württemberg | 2020 | Germany | German; English | Prevention of Guide for prevention of bark beetle spread in conifer stands in Germany | https://www.waldwissen.net/de/waldwirtschaft/schadensmanagement/insekten/massnahmen-gegen-rindenbrueter |
| 4 | Handbook of the major forest pests in Southeast Europe | Lakatos et al. - FAO | 2014 | Southeast Europe | English | Handbook with many forest pests and diseases information from Southeast Europe. Includes a part about bark beetles. | https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/ea267264-f51c-4883-9a72-69cb95e3c55e/content |
II. Books or book chapters
| Nº | Title | Author | Chapter | Chapter author | Year | Focus region | Language | Summary | Link |
| 1 | Bark Beetle Management, Ecology, and Climate Change | Gandhi & Hofstetter | Management tactics to reduce bark beetle impacts in North America and Europe under altered forest and climatic conditions | Fetigg et al. | 2022 | North America & Europe | English | Review of the ecology and management of bark beetles in conifer-dominated forests in North America and Europe, with 6 case studies. | https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-822145-7.00006-4 |
| 2 | Silviculture: Concepts and applications | Nyland | Improvement, salvage, and sanitation cuttings | - | 2016 | World | English | General recommendations for salvage and sanitation cuttings as a response to pest problems | https://www.waveland.com/browse.php?t=416 |
| 3 | The practice of silviculture: Applied forest ecology | Ashton and Kelty | Approaches to and treatments for maintaining healthy forest ecosystems - Using silviculture to control damage | - | 2017 | World | English | Guide to pre-salvage cuttings, sanitation cuttings, and salvage cuttings, to prevent or minimize pest damage | https://www.wiley-vch.de/de/fachgebiete/naturwissenschaften/the-practice-of-silviculture-978-1-119-27095-9 |
III. Scientific articles
| Nº | Title | Author | Year | Focus region | Language | Type | Summary | Link |
| 1 | Understanding bark beetle outbreaks: exploring the impact of changing temperature regimes, droughts, forest structure, and prospects for future forest pest management. | Singh et al. | 2024 | Eurasian boreal | English | Narrative review | Challenges of bark beetle pests with climate change, and managing opportunities to improve forest health | https://doi.org/10.1007/s11157-024-09692-5 |
| 2 | Effects of salvage logging and sanitation felling on bark beetle (Ips typographus L.) infestations | Stadelmann et al. | 2013 | Europe | English | Experiment | The study quantifies the combined effects of salvage logging and sanitation felling on the infestation dynamics of Ips typographus in subsequent years | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2013.06.003 |
| 3 | The Effect of Sanitation Felling on the Spread of the European Spruce Bark Beetle—An Individual-Based Modeling Approach | Pietzsch et al. | 2021 | Europe | English | Modelling approach | The study creates the model "IPS-SPREADS" to assess the efectiveness of sanitation felling | https://doi.org/10.3389/ffgc.2021.704930 |
| 4 | Is salvage logging effectively dampening bark beetle outbreaks and preserving forest carbon stocks? | Dobor et al. | 2020 | Europe | English | Modelling approach | Study of the effectiveness of sanitation felling on bark beetles outbreaks using a model | https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2664.13518 |
| 5 | Effects of sanitation logging in winter on the Eurasian spruce bark beetle and predatory long-legged flies | Weslien et al. | 2024 | Europe | English | Experiment | Quantifying the effectiveness of sanitation logging in winter on bark beetle outbreaks and their impact on predator flies | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2023.121665 |
| 6 | Bark Beetle Outbreaks in Europe: State of Knowledge and Ways Forward for Management | Hlásny et al. | 2021 | Europe | English | Narrative review | Review on drivers and impacts of bark beetle outbreaks in Europe and management framework proposal | https://doi.org/10.1007/s40725-021-00142-x |