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Workshop on Ips typographus: research and sustainable strategies for bark beetle management

On 17 December 2025, the international workshop “Chemical Ecology of the Spruce Bark Beetle, Ips typographus” took place at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano (UNIBZ). The event was co-organised by Eco Research and UNIBZ and fostered a fruitful exchange between scientific research, forest management and applied practice, with the aim of deepening current knowledge on spruce bark beetle behaviour and sustainable infestation management strategies. 

Due to natural events such as Storm Vaia in 2018 and subsequent snow damage in 2019, which weakened the structure of local forests, the bark beetle has caused severe damage to Norway spruce forests in South Tyrol and neighbouring regions. Although a physiological decline in beetle populations has been observed over the last two years (2024–2025), the phenomenon continues to represent a significant challenge for forest management. Even with lower population levels, the presence of this beetle must now be considered a constant factor in the territory. Therefore, the development of effective monitoring, control and prevention tools based on solid scientific evidence remains essential. 

By presenting several scientific case studies as well as examples from applied forest management, the workshop highlighted the importance of an interdisciplinary approach to addressing challenges related to climate change and forest ecosystem health, reaffirming the key role of research and knowledge transfer in supporting local forest management.

The scientific programme included the following presentations:

  • Overview of the Ips typographus situation in the Autonomous Province of Bolzano | Alessandro Andriolo (Forest Planning Office, Autonomous Province of Bolzano, Italy);
  • Monitoring and management of ongoing Ips typographus outbreak in the Autonomous Province of Trento | Martino Gambacorti Passerini (Forest Service, Autonomous Province of Trento, Italy);
  • Assessment of regional scale-based bark beetle disturbance predisposition in complex terrain with earth observations | Anna Candotti (Free University of Bolzano, Italy);
  • Testing semiochemical blends for the behavioural disruption of Ips typographus: field evidence from the Alps | Chiara Benvenuti (Free University of Bolzano, Italy);
  • On the way to making Ips typographus management even more integrated: insights from south-east Germany | Tobias Frühbrodt (Bavarian State Institute of Forestry, Germany);
  • Experiences with the use of trap log piles for controlling the spruce bark beetle in Trentino | Lorenzo Tonina (Edmund Mach Foundation, Italy);
  • Protection of champion trees in Val Visdende through the push-and-pull technique | Giuseppe Morgante (University of Padua, Italy);
  • The paradox of attraction: Why push-and-pull doesn’t always work for spruce protection against bark beetles | Natalie Korolyova, Rastislav Jakuš (Institute of Forest Ecology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia, Global Change Research Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CzechGlobe), Czechia);
  • Characterizing the metabolism of Ips typographus , findings and future Directions | Orlando Vezzoli (C3A – Center Agriculture Food Environment, Italy).