Health Condition of Pinus Peuce and Pinus Heldreichii Forest Stands in Mountain Areas in Bulgaria
Health Condition of Pinus Peuce and Pinus Heldreichii Forest Stands in Mountain Areas in Bulgaria

Author(s): Plamen Mirchev, Georgi Georgiev, Margarita Georgieva, Sevdalin Belilov, Mihail Kechev, Vyara Petrova
Subject(s): Economy, Geography, Regional studies, Energy and Environmental Studies, Regional Geography, Environmental Geography
Published by: Национално издателство за образование и наука „Аз-буки“
Keywords: Macedonian and Bosnian pines; health condition; remote sensing; defoliation; biotic factors
Summary/Abstract: In the period 2020-2021, the health status of 11 stands of Pinus peuce and P. heldreichii was assessed in Pirin Mt. (4 stands), Rila Mt. (3 stands), Slavyanka Mt. (2 stands), Vitosha Mt. (1 stand) and Konyavska planina Mt. (1 stand). The survey was based on remote sensing and terrestrial verification. The remote sensing data was obtained by capturing with unmanned aerial vehicle ‘Autel Robotics EVO II’ equipped with multispectral camera ‘Parrot SEQUOIA’. In field studies, an assessment of the defoliation of tree crowns and a registration of damages caused by abiotic and biotic factors was conducted. The defoliation in P. peuce stands varied between 21.3% and 44.8%, and in P. heldreichii stands – between 24.5% and 49.5%. Abiotic damages by strong wind, wet snow and ice-break were registered in studied stands. Among the biotic factors, the main damages were caused by fungal pathogens (Heterobasidion annosum, Diplodia sapinea, Cenangium ferruginosum) and bark beetles (Ips sexdentatus, I. amitinus, etc.).

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