Activities of public interest in the field of diagnosis of harmful organisms and protection of health of forest plants in the territory of the Republic of Serbia, without the territory of the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina
In accordance with the obligations of monitoring the occurrence of quarantine and economically important insect species and biotic agents of plant diseases in the Republic of Serbia (arising from the legislation of the Republic of Serbia and the European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization, EPPO / EPPO), specialists of the Istitute of Forestry from Belgrade, in collaboration with other experts in forestry profession from all over Serbia, have for decades (since 1955) each year, been doing the following activities within the Activities of public interest in the field of diagnosis of harmful organisms: protection of the health of forest plants, following of the occurrence of harmful organisms, forecasting of their further territorial expansion, proposing of control measures and planning and organizing of actions to control the economically important biotic causes of damage to deciduous and evergreen, natural and anthropogenic forests of Central Serbia. Early detection, forecasting of future trends and implementing of adequate measures of protection prevent the spread of plant pests and diseases to the neighboring countries and beyond them.
Pursuant to Article 17 of the Law on Plant Health ("Official Gazette of RS", No. 41/09) and the five-year Agreement concluded (2010) between the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of the Republic of Serbia - Directorate for Forests and the Institute of Forestry, the activities of public interest in the field of diagnosis of harmful organisms and plant health protection performed by the Institute - Department of forest Protection, are:
- Collecting biological and other data for forecasting the occurrence of harmful organisms;
- Reporting on the presence, occurrence and spread of harmful organisms and forecasting the occurrence of harmful organisms, development and movements of their populations and determining optimal timeframes for their suppression;
- Routine laboratory analysis of official samples of forest plants, plant products and regulated objects, in accordance with internationally accepted procedures, in order to determine the presence of harmful organisms and the intensity of their presence;
- Preparation of the scientific basis for the adoption of preventive measures and the Program of measures for health protection of forest plants;
- Applied and other research in the area of harmful organism diagnostics and health protection of forest plants;
- Providing expert opinions in the field of diagnosis of harmful organisms and health protection of forest plants;
- Preparation of the scientific basis for drafting regulations in the area of harmful organism diagnostics and health protection of forest plants.
Detailed six-month, nine-month and annual reports are made available to the public by publishing their content on the website of the Institute of Forestry.
The health inspection of facilities for the production of forest and horticultural seeds and seedlings
All facilities for the production of forest and horticultural seeds and seedlings must be subjected to health control, which is carried out twice a year, after which a certificate is issued on the health status of the examined species (condition for their placement on the market).
Testing of the biological efficacy of pesticides for the purpose of getting the permission for their circulation in the territory of the Republic of Serbia and application in the suppression of economically harmful species of weeds, fungi and insects
In order to minimize the negative consequences of the application of chemical products in the prevention of pests and diseases and to overcome the shortage of registered products for our region, biological control is becoming increasingly important. Many beneficial fungi and bacteria are being tested in laboratories to demonstrate their ability to control harmful plant agents. Lately, some of these beneficial fungi and bacteria that have shown great efficacy have been further developed and used as an alternative to traditional chemical fungicides. The biological efficacy of bioproducts of foreign and domestic producers is being tested in the suppression of gypsy moth, leaf roller, winter moth, fall webworm, powdery mildew, etc. on different host plants, including the possibility of mixing of biological and chemical substances.
Research of the occurrence and causes of forests dieback in natural and artificially established stands of the most valuable tree species in Serbia
Given that the current situation in the stands of Serbia is generally unsatisfactory (insufficient preservation, unsatisfactory quality and state of health), the work to improve it became the object and purpose of the research in several major scientific research projects. The main task and goal of the research is a detailed examination of phytopathological and entomological changes on trees, determination of the causes, evaluation of the intensity of occurrence, prediction of further history of disease and proposing of remedial measures. By examining the influence of biotic factors on the dieback of trees, the conclusion that biotic factors play a very active role in the destruction of trees in forest stands was reached, although they do not have to be the primary causes. In many cases, the trees damaged by abiotic factors survive, unless subsequently attacked by biotic agents.
Providing services of determining the causes of damage and advice giving on the suppression of identified harmful organisms
As part of its tasks, the Institute of Forestry receives samples of parts of trees attacked by various biotic agents causing damage. The samples are prepared for analysis by a variety of laboratory methods. After the analysis is performed, determination of the identified species of harmful organism is conducted. The report on the completed expertise, necessarily lists all detailed information about the identified harmful organism, and recommendations for the control and remediation of damage are also given.
Production of expert opinions and studies on the health status of trees, parks and forests
Department of Forest Protection of the Institute of Forestry prepares studies of the health status of individual trees, parks and forests, which determine the current status of the presence and impact of harmful biotic factors. The studies and reports are used to assess the risk of breakages and contribute to decision making on the application of specific measures of tree tending.
Biomonitoring of the state of crowns and monitoring of diseases and pests in monitoring plots, Levels I and II
The National Focal Centre at the Institute of Forestry, for the monitoring of the condition of forests of the Republic of Serbia participates in the international program ICP for Forests (International Co-operative Programme on Assessment and Monitoring of Air pollution Effects on Forestshttp://icp-forests.net/) with a trend towards the improvement of work and coordination with other methodologies to monitor the vitality of forests and forest ecosystems of the Republic of Serbia. Assessment of the state of crowns using the parameters of discoloration, defoliation and determination of present causes of disease and pests, analysis of samples and production of expert opinions within the intensive monitoring of the sample plots, contribute to the reaching of definitive conclusions about the vitality of polluted forests. In Serbia, monitoring is carried out at 130 monitoring plots (LEVEL I), and 5 permanent sample plots (LEVEL II).
Evaluation and monitoring of the impact of ground-level ozone on forest ecosystems
Within the Level II monitoring plots, the effects of ground-level ozone on crown condition of forest tree species are monitored in 5 permanent sample plots.