Climate change and outbreaks of Southern Pine Beetle Dendroctonus frontalis in Honduras

Pine forests, consisting primarily of Pinus oocarpa and P caribaea, cover some 2.5 million hectares and are one of the principal natural resources and a significant foundation for development in Honduras. Historically, these forests have been subjected to ecological impacts and economic losses cause...

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Main Authors: Rojas, M.R., Locatelli, Bruno, Billings, R.
Format: Journal Article
Language:Español
Published: 2010
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/20464
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author Rojas, M.R.
Locatelli, Bruno
Billings, R.
author_browse Billings, R.
Locatelli, Bruno
Rojas, M.R.
author_facet Rojas, M.R.
Locatelli, Bruno
Billings, R.
author_sort Rojas, M.R.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Pine forests, consisting primarily of Pinus oocarpa and P caribaea, cover some 2.5 million hectares and are one of the principal natural resources and a significant foundation for development in Honduras. Historically, these forests have been subjected to ecological impacts and economic losses caused principally by wildfires and, to a lesser but no less significant extent, by the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis (Coleoptera, Curculionidae). According to studies conducted in the United States and beliefs of rural Honduran landowners, a relationship exists between the activity of this insect pest and environmental conditions. To explore this relationship, we developed a model relating periodic southern pine beetle outbreaks and environmental conditions in Honduras. We found that increases in mean ambient temperatures in the month of June, reductions in mean monthly precipitation in June and July, and climatic anomalies in warm months that influence the annual frequency of wildfires were correlated with the occurrence and extent of southern pine beetle outbreaks since 1982. With the small amount of information available and lacking previous studies on the causes of bark beetle outbreaks in Central America, this study provides valuable information on the importance of forest management to address southern pine beetle outbreaks and illustrates a general approach that will help to predict the effects of climate change on pine forests of Honduras.
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spelling CGSpace204642025-01-24T14:11:59Z Climate change and outbreaks of Southern Pine Beetle Dendroctonus frontalis in Honduras Rojas, M.R. Locatelli, Bruno Billings, R. pines forest management climate change outbreaks Pine forests, consisting primarily of Pinus oocarpa and P caribaea, cover some 2.5 million hectares and are one of the principal natural resources and a significant foundation for development in Honduras. Historically, these forests have been subjected to ecological impacts and economic losses caused principally by wildfires and, to a lesser but no less significant extent, by the southern pine beetle, Dendroctonus frontalis (Coleoptera, Curculionidae). According to studies conducted in the United States and beliefs of rural Honduran landowners, a relationship exists between the activity of this insect pest and environmental conditions. To explore this relationship, we developed a model relating periodic southern pine beetle outbreaks and environmental conditions in Honduras. We found that increases in mean ambient temperatures in the month of June, reductions in mean monthly precipitation in June and July, and climatic anomalies in warm months that influence the annual frequency of wildfires were correlated with the occurrence and extent of southern pine beetle outbreaks since 1982. With the small amount of information available and lacking previous studies on the causes of bark beetle outbreaks in Central America, this study provides valuable information on the importance of forest management to address southern pine beetle outbreaks and illustrates a general approach that will help to predict the effects of climate change on pine forests of Honduras. 2010 2012-06-04T09:13:23Z 2012-06-04T09:13:23Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/20464 es Rojas, M.R., Locatelli, B., Billings, R. 2010. Climate change and outbreaks of Southern Pine Beetle Dendroctonus frontalis in Honduras . Forest Systems 1 (19) :70-76. ISSN: 2171-5068.
spellingShingle pines
forest management
climate change
outbreaks
Rojas, M.R.
Locatelli, Bruno
Billings, R.
Climate change and outbreaks of Southern Pine Beetle Dendroctonus frontalis in Honduras
title Climate change and outbreaks of Southern Pine Beetle Dendroctonus frontalis in Honduras
title_full Climate change and outbreaks of Southern Pine Beetle Dendroctonus frontalis in Honduras
title_fullStr Climate change and outbreaks of Southern Pine Beetle Dendroctonus frontalis in Honduras
title_full_unstemmed Climate change and outbreaks of Southern Pine Beetle Dendroctonus frontalis in Honduras
title_short Climate change and outbreaks of Southern Pine Beetle Dendroctonus frontalis in Honduras
title_sort climate change and outbreaks of southern pine beetle dendroctonus frontalis in honduras
topic pines
forest management
climate change
outbreaks
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/20464
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