Impact of the four-eyed fir bark beetle (Polygraphus proximus Blandf.) on coarse woody debris stock and carbon budget of fir forests in Central Siberia

doi:10.3832/ifor4882-018

Impact of the four-eyed fir bark beetle (Polygraphus proximus Blandf.) on coarse woody debris stock and carbon budget of fir forests in Central Siberia

Liudmila Mukhortova⁽¹⁾ , Oxana Sergeeva⁽²⁾, Denis Demidko⁽¹⁾, Leonid Krivobokov⁽¹⁾, Yury Baranchikov⁽¹⁾

iForest - Biogeosciences and Forestry, Volume 19, Issue 3, Pages 209-218 (2026)
doi: https://doi.org/10.3832/ifor4882-018
Published: Jun 08, 2026 - Copyright © 2026 SISEF

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In the boreal forests of Central Siberia, a marked increase in tree mortality caused by the invasive four-eyed fir bark beetle (Polygraphus proximus Blandf.) has raised concerns about its impact on forest carbon dynamics. This study aims to quantify changes in coarse woody debris (CWD) stocks and their associated carbon fluxes under different levels of beetle infestation. Using systematic field surveys across infestation gradients, we measured CWD accumulation and decomposition by component (snags, logs, and stumps). Our results show that CWD stocks varied significantly, ranging from 68.1 to 179.9 Mg ha^-1, with the highest amounts observed in the most heavily infested areas. In particular, the proportion of carbon stored in snags increased with infestation severity. Furthermore, our analysis of decomposition rates based on empirical data indicates accelerated carbon dioxide emissions from CWD in severely damaged stands. These findings underline the substantial impact of bark beetle outbreaks on the carbon storage capacity of fir forests and highlight the need for management strategies that account for pest effects on forest carbon budgets. This study contributes to a better understanding of pest-induced changes in forest ecosystems and supports the refinement of carbon dynamics models for boreal forests.

Keywords

Forest Carbon Dynamics, Bark Beetle Impact, Boreal Forest Ecology, Coarse Woody Debris Dynamics, Decomposition Rate, Siberian Fir Ecosystems

Authors’ address

(1)

0000-0002-1390-9091
0000-0001-6538-9828
0000-0003-4105-6281
0000-0002-2472-7242
V.N. Sukachev Institute of Forest SB RAS, Federal Research Center “Krasnoyarsk Science Center SB RAS”, Krasnoyarsk, 660036 (Russian Federation)

(2)

0000-0002-7978-0737
Siberian Federal University, Krasnoyarsk, 660041 (Russian Federation)

Corresponding author

Liudmila Mukhortova
l.mukhortova@gmail.com

Citation

Mukhortova L, Sergeeva O, Demidko D, Krivobokov L, Baranchikov Y (2026). Impact of the four-eyed fir bark beetle (Polygraphus proximus Blandf.) on coarse woody debris stock and carbon budget of fir forests in Central Siberia. iForest 19: 209-218. - doi: 10.3832/ifor4882-018

Academic Editor

Matteo Marchioro

Paper history

Received: Apr 15, 2025
Accepted: Dec 06, 2025

First online: Jun 08, 2026
Publication Date: Jun 30, 2026
Publication Time: 6.13 months

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This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.

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