Ireland has so far been spared the ravages of the eight-toothed spruce bark beetle, which has killed hundreds of millions of spruce across Europe in just the last decade. But the insect is now edging closer to Irish shores, posing a dire risk to the €2 billion timber industry.
While Ips typographus, the beetle’s scientific name, has historically targeted Norway spruce, scientists are now finding it may also be able to infect Sitka spruce, the most commonly grown tree in Irish forests.
And unlike other invasive insects, which come to Ireland as stowaways on cargo ships, and can thus be stopped at port, Ips is small enough to be carried along the wind, potentially travelling hundreds of kilometres by air. In the past decade, the beetle has taken hold in England, and experts warn that Ireland must now be on guard for a potential invasion.
“It can only be a matter of time before the beetle makes its way here,” says Brian Tobin, assistant professor of forestry at University College Dublin. “Spruce is the backbone of Ireland’s forest estate, and early action will be vital in any attempts at control of the spread of this very menacing threat.”
Across Europe, there is no co-ordinated monitoring of invasive bark beetles, and experts warn the Irish Government must do more to prepare for an outbreak.
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