S-05 · Field and ground
Freshly infested spruce trees often still look green in aerial imagery. We therefore combine aerial analysis with boring-dust searches by detection dogs, so that infested trees can be removed before the next generation emerges.
How we carry out this service.
01From the first swarming flight in spring, we survey spruce stands every two to three weeks. The GIS team compares each survey with the previous one and delineates crowns whose appearance has changed. The suspect areas are sent to the detection dog team at the Rhön field station as a coordinate list on the same day.
02On the ground, a dog team systematically searches the suspect areas and their margins. Havanna or Dina give a passive indication of fresh boring dust at the stem base. The handler checks every indication for entry holes, boring dust and resin flow, marks the tree in agreement with the forest district and records it with GPS and a photo.
03We send confirmed infestation digitally on the day of the search, sorted by compartment and urgency. This allows the district management to plan felling and removal before the next beetle generation emerges. After removal, we check the surroundings of each infestation again in the next round, as follow-up attacks are common there.
Operating in Germany and the EU
e.g. 500 to 3,000 ha of spruce
Forest owners’ association, Rhön and eastern Hesse
Several survey rounds during the season, each followed by a boring-dust search with detection dogs. Confirmed standing infestation is reported at the green stage with coordinates.
e.g. 200 to 1,000 ha
Municipal forest enterprise, Rhön and eastern Hesse
Checks of timber piles and the previous year’s infestation spots with detection dogs. Newly infested trees are marked and reported for removal.
The examples show typical procedures for this service.
Early signs are brown boring dust at the stem base and in bark scales, along with resin droplets. The crown often discolours only weeks later. Detection dogs smell the beetle pheromones before that.
From the first swarming flight in April or May, then every two to three weeks until late summer, particularly after warm, dry periods.
Not the beetle itself. Aerial images show discoloured or stressed crowns, and multispectral data (on request through partners) often do so before visible discolouration. Whether it is beetle infestation or drought stress is clarified by checks on the ground.
Tell us the area, location and time frame. You will receive an assessment within two working days.
