Pests in plantation forests: Challenging traditional productive paradigms in the Southern Cone of America

Commercial forest plantations in the Southern Cone of South America, dominated by Pinus and Eucalyptus, are increasingly affected by pests, primarily driven by global change and silvicultural intensification. The predominance of homogeneous stands composed of fast-growing exotic tree species under h...

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Main Authors: Villacide, Jose Maria, Fuentealba, Alvaro
Format: info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo
Language:Inglés
Published: Elsevier 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/23618
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378112725006358
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123127
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author Villacide, Jose Maria
Fuentealba, Alvaro
author_browse Fuentealba, Alvaro
Villacide, Jose Maria
author_facet Villacide, Jose Maria
Fuentealba, Alvaro
author_sort Villacide, Jose Maria
collection INTA Digital
description Commercial forest plantations in the Southern Cone of South America, dominated by Pinus and Eucalyptus, are increasingly affected by pests, primarily driven by global change and silvicultural intensification. The predominance of homogeneous stands composed of fast-growing exotic tree species under high-input regimes reduces biodiversity and increases vulnerability to both invasive and native pests. This review aims to assess the potential of mixed-species plantations to enhance pest resilience in plantation forests of the region. Recent changes in pest-host dynamics, including novel associations and spillovers into native forests, underscore the growing complexity of forest health challenges in the region. In this context, forest diversification, through mixed-species plantations and increased landscape heterogeneity, has emerged as a promising approach to enhance ecological resilience and reduce pest impacts. Although empirical evidence from the region remains limited, studies suggest that greater tree diversity can reduce pest incidence by hindering host detection and promoting more effective natural enemy communities. The effectiveness of such diversification, however, depends on species composition, ecological interactions, and management context. Regionally coordinated experimental networks are urgently needed to guide the transition toward more resilient silvicultural models. These should evaluate pest-specific responses, productivity trade-offs, and long-term forest health outcomes under diverse management scenarios. Effective implementation will also require strong policy support, including incentives for diversification, harmonized technical protocols, and sustained investment in research infrastructure. By integrating ecological principles into plantation forest system design and promote regional collaboration, the Southern Cone of America can lead the development of sustainable, pest-resilient plantation forestry under global change.
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spelling INTA236182025-08-29T12:17:26Z Pests in plantation forests: Challenging traditional productive paradigms in the Southern Cone of America Villacide, Jose Maria Fuentealba, Alvaro Bosques Plagas Forestales Silvicultura Gestión de Lucha Integrada América del Sur Forests Forest Pests Silviculture Pinus Eucalyptus Integrated Pest Management South America Commercial forest plantations in the Southern Cone of South America, dominated by Pinus and Eucalyptus, are increasingly affected by pests, primarily driven by global change and silvicultural intensification. The predominance of homogeneous stands composed of fast-growing exotic tree species under high-input regimes reduces biodiversity and increases vulnerability to both invasive and native pests. This review aims to assess the potential of mixed-species plantations to enhance pest resilience in plantation forests of the region. Recent changes in pest-host dynamics, including novel associations and spillovers into native forests, underscore the growing complexity of forest health challenges in the region. In this context, forest diversification, through mixed-species plantations and increased landscape heterogeneity, has emerged as a promising approach to enhance ecological resilience and reduce pest impacts. Although empirical evidence from the region remains limited, studies suggest that greater tree diversity can reduce pest incidence by hindering host detection and promoting more effective natural enemy communities. The effectiveness of such diversification, however, depends on species composition, ecological interactions, and management context. Regionally coordinated experimental networks are urgently needed to guide the transition toward more resilient silvicultural models. These should evaluate pest-specific responses, productivity trade-offs, and long-term forest health outcomes under diverse management scenarios. Effective implementation will also require strong policy support, including incentives for diversification, harmonized technical protocols, and sustained investment in research infrastructure. By integrating ecological principles into plantation forest system design and promote regional collaboration, the Southern Cone of America can lead the development of sustainable, pest-resilient plantation forestry under global change. EEA Bariloche Fil: Villacide, Jose Maria. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche (IFAB). Grupo de Ecología de Poblaciones de Insectos; Argentina Fil: Villacide, Jose Maria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Instituto de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias Bariloche (IFAB). Grupo de Ecología de Poblaciones de Insectos; Argentina Fil: Fuentealba, Alvaro. Université Laval. Faculté de Foresterie, de Géographie et de Géomatique. Département des Sciences du Bois et de la Forêt; Canadá 2025-08-29T12:14:47Z 2025-08-29T12:14:47Z 2025-12 info:ar-repo/semantics/artículo info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/23618 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378112725006358 0378-1127 1872-7042 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123127 eng info:eu-repograntAgreement/INTA/2023-PD-L01-I074, Bases ecológicas y epidemiológicas para el diseño de estrategias de manejo de plagas agrícolas y forestales info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0) application/pdf Elsevier Forest Ecology and Management 597 : 123127. (December 2025)
spellingShingle Bosques
Plagas Forestales
Silvicultura
Gestión de Lucha Integrada
América del Sur
Forests
Forest Pests
Silviculture
Pinus
Eucalyptus
Integrated Pest Management
South America
Villacide, Jose Maria
Fuentealba, Alvaro
Pests in plantation forests: Challenging traditional productive paradigms in the Southern Cone of America
title Pests in plantation forests: Challenging traditional productive paradigms in the Southern Cone of America
title_full Pests in plantation forests: Challenging traditional productive paradigms in the Southern Cone of America
title_fullStr Pests in plantation forests: Challenging traditional productive paradigms in the Southern Cone of America
title_full_unstemmed Pests in plantation forests: Challenging traditional productive paradigms in the Southern Cone of America
title_short Pests in plantation forests: Challenging traditional productive paradigms in the Southern Cone of America
title_sort pests in plantation forests challenging traditional productive paradigms in the southern cone of america
topic Bosques
Plagas Forestales
Silvicultura
Gestión de Lucha Integrada
América del Sur
Forests
Forest Pests
Silviculture
Pinus
Eucalyptus
Integrated Pest Management
South America
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12123/23618
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0378112725006358
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2025.123127
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