Data from: Regulating bark beetles with mechanical bark treatments: Trade-offs among pest control, operational efficiency and biodiversity
Data files
Jun 22, 2026 version files 28.70 MB
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bacteria_OTU.csv
19.24 MB
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Bioenergy_Okala_2025.csv
23.83 KB
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fungi_OTU_FAM.csv
9.29 MB
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log_data.xlsx
32.69 KB
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README.md
14.66 KB
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ste_xylo.xlsx
99.88 KB
Abstract
Bark beetle outbreaks are increasingly affecting Norway spruce (Picea abies) forests across Europe, creating a need for management approaches that balance pest control, timber utilization, and biodiversity conservation. This dataset originates from a large-scale field experiment conducted across 20 Norway spruce-dominated forest sites distributed over Germany. The study evaluated five mechanical bark treatments (harvester processing, triple harvester processing, motor-manual bark gouging, motor-manual debarking, and manual debarking) and an untreated control for their effectiveness in regulating the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) and their ecological consequences.
The dataset contains measurements of saproxylic beetle emergence, operational efficiency, wood properties, woodpecker foraging activity, fungi, and bacteria collected from experimentally treated spruce logs between 2022 and 2024. Saproxylic beetles were sampled using stem emergence traps and identified to species level. Fungal and bacterial communities were characterized through DNA metabarcoding of wood samples using ITS and 16S markers, respectively. Additional variables include bark cover, moisture content, net calorific value, and elemental composition (carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen).
The dataset enables analyses of trade-offs among bark beetle regulation efficacy, operational feasibility, deadwood biodiversity conservation, microbial community assembly, and timber utilization potential. It provides a comprehensive resource for studying disturbance ecology, forest protection strategies, saproxylic biodiversity, wood decomposition processes, and climate-adaptive forest management in temperate conifer forests.
Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.k6djh9wns
Description of the data and file structure
The data were collected as part of a large-scale field experiment investigating mechanical bark treatments as alternatives to salvage logging for regulating the European spruce bark beetle (Ips typographus) in Norway spruce (Picea abies) forests. The study was conducted at 20 forest sites distributed across the climatic range of spruce-dominated forests in Germany.
In spring 2022, six spruce trees were felled at each site and assigned to one of six treatments: untreated control, conventional harvester processing, triple-pass harvester processing, motor-manual bark gouging, motor-manual debarking, and manual debarking. Treatments were applied shortly after bark beetle colonization to evaluate their effectiveness in reducing beetle emergence while maintaining the ecological and economic values of deadwood.
Data collection was conducted between 2022 and 2024 and included measurements of bark beetle emergence, saproxylic beetle communities, fungal and bacterial communities, woodpecker foraging activity, operational efficiency of bark treatments, bark cover, wood moisture, elemental composition (carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen), net calorific value, and blue-stain fungi colonization. Saproxylic beetles were sampled using emergence traps and identified morphologically to species level, while fungal and bacterial communities were characterized through DNA metabarcoding of wood samples using ITS and 16S gene markers. Together, these data quantify the ecological and operational trade-offs associated with different bark treatment intensities and provide a comprehensive assessment of pest regulation, biodiversity conservation, and timber utilization potential following forest disturbance.
Files and variables
blank cells are: "NA"
File: log_data.xlsx
Description: Data for each experimental Log
Variables
| Variable | Type | Description | Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| plot | factor | plot ID | AU=Augsburg, BB=Burgbernheim, BR=Bramstedt, BU=Burgwald, DI=Dietzhoelztal, EB=Ebrach, GO=Goehrde, HU=Huenning, LA=Lauterberg, LE=Letzlingen, NH=Neuhaus, NR=Neureichenau, RE=Reinhardshagen, RO=Rothenburg o. T., RW=Reit i. Winkel, SE=Seehaus, SO=Sonthofen, TH=Thiergarten, WI=Bad Windsheim, WU=Uniwald Würzburg |
| treat | factor | treatment levels | KON=control; GES=gouged; HV1=Harvester normal; HV2=Harvester double; MEN=Machine debarked; HEN=Manual debarked |
| totLenght | numeric | length of all segments combined | |
| DBH.cm | numeric | Diameter at Breast height [1.3m] | |
| vol.m3 | numeric | volume in [m³] | |
| lat | numeric | latitude coordinates [WGS84] of the stem | |
| long | numeric | longitude coordinates [WGS84] of the stem | |
| trees.cut.2022 | date | date of felling the tree in 2022 [MM/DD/YYYY] | |
| HV.treat | date | date of Harvester treatment in 2022 [MM/DD/YYYY] | |
| MM.treat | date | date of (Motor) manual treatments in 2022 [MM/DD/YYYY] | |
| beetle.sampl.start.202# | date | date of beetle sampling start in 202# [MM/DD/YYYY] | |
| beetle.sampl.end.202# | date | date of beetle sampling end in 202# [MM/DD/YYYY] | |
| treat.person | factor | person doing the bark treatment | CF=Cornelius Finnberg, SZ=Sebastian Zarges, OH=Ole Henning, P=Philip Schuster, NA=Not available or No treatment, |
| treat.time.sec | numeric | time needed for bark treatment in [sec] | |
| sample.surface.cm2.202# | numeric | sampled area for beetles in year 202# |
| Variable | Type | Description | Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| FC | numeric | Forest Cover from digital cover photography CovR | Cover photos were taken vertically (90° upward) above the trap location of each stem using a Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II (24 mm). At LA: MEN, HV1, and HV2, cover was removed by July 2023. https://www.vicanek.de/imageprocessing/contrastmask.htm |
| CC | numeric | Canopy Cover from digital cover photography CovR | Cover photos were taken vertically (90° upward) above the trap location of each stem using a Canon PowerShot G5 X Mark II (24 mm). At LA: MEN, HV1, and HV2, cover was removed by July 2023. https://www.vicanek.de/imageprocessing/contrastmask.htm |
| bark.I.intact | numeric | percent of intact bark at timestep I (Spring 2022) on 4 locations (trap + drilling) with 25 random points assessed on an area of 0.214 m² | |
| bark.I.injured | numeric | percent of injured bark at timestep I (Spring 2022) based on 4 locations (trap + drilling) with 25 random points assessed on an area of 0.214 m² | |
| bark.I.free | numeric | percent of free xylem at timestep I (Spring 2022) based on 4 locations (trap + drilling) with 25 random points assessed on an area of 0.214 m² | |
| WP.II.bark | numeric | count of woodpecker activity (foraging holes) in bark at timestep II | I=Spring 2022, II=Autumn 2022, III=Spring 2023, IV=Autumn 2023, V=Autumn 2024 |
| WP.II.xylem | numeric | count of woodpecker activity (foraging holes) in xylem at timestep II |
File: ste_xylo.xlsx
Description: morphologically determined saproxylic beetle species emerging from the experimental logs
Variables
| Variable | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| plot | factor | plot ID |
| treat | factor | treatment ID |
| year | numeric | year of collection |
| species | factor | species name according to Colkat; |
| number | numeric | Number of individuals |
File: bacteria_OTU.csv
Description: log by bacteria OTU for I= Spring 2022; II =Autumn 2022; III= Spring 2023; IV= Autumn 2023
Variables
- OTU: Operation taxonomic unit identification number
File: fungi_OTU_FAM.csv
Description: log by fungi OTU for I= Spring 2022; II =Autumn 2022; III= Spring 2023; IV= Autumn 2023
Variables
- OTU: Operational taxonomic unit identification number
File: Bioenergy_Okala_2025.csv
Description: Elemental composition, calorific val,ue and moisture content of drill samples
Variables
- ID: log identification with site_treatment combination, I= Spring 2022; II =Autumn 2022; III= Spring 2023; IV= Autumn 2023, V= Autumn 2024
- MC: Moisture content in %
- net_CV: net calorific value in MJ/kg
- gross_CV: gross calorific value in MJ/kg
- C: Carbon content in %
- N: Nitrogen content in %
- H: Hydrogen content in %